Aston Villa have been linked with Villarreal defender Pau Torres recently and signing the Spaniard could allow Unai Emery to finally get rid of Calum Chambers.

According to 90min, Villa are competing with Premier League rivals Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea for the 25-year-old centre-back, who has caught the eye with his performances for club and country in recent seasons.

It has been suggested that the Villans would have to pay upwards of £40m for the Spain international in January, which suggests that he would automatically become a starter under his former manager at Villa Park.

Torres' old Villarreal B manager Miguel Alvarez was full of praise for the centre-back as he progressed through the ranks with the La Liga side.

He said: "He has especially, for a defender, a tremendous ease of playing passes through the lines, always finding the free player. Above all, he was excellent at making decisions; a tremendous calmness on the ball, which few defenders have.”

Thus, it would clearly represent an exceptional signing, with the defender possessing a rare set of skills.

Should he seal a reunion with his former manager, it will only push Chambers further down the pecking order, with the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Jan Bednarek arguably ahead of him, even in the absence of the injury-stricken Diego Carlos.

Since signing from Arsenal on a free transfer in January, the versatile defender has made just 16 appearances for his new side, scoring one goal, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be more utilised in the Premier League under Emery, who did start him in the recent cup defeat against Manchester United.

Steven Gerrard opted to hand the 27-year-old a three-and-a-half-year deal at Villa Park, meaning he is contracted until June 2025, which may prove to be a mistake considering his lack of game time so far this season.

The former England international has featured in just 99 minutes of Premier League action in the current campaign, and his one start against West Ham resulted in a 1-0 home defeat.

Chambers earns £50k-per-week at Villa Park and the potential arrival of Torres would surely spell the end of his chances of being a first-team regular, so Emery should look to get rid of the defender rather than him burning a wage on the bench until 2025.