Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly targeting the Villarreal defender Pau Torres again this summer and Fabrizio Romano has mooted his potential price tag.
Why do Spurs need more defenders?
The Lilywhites were able to bring in one centre-back last summer with Clement Lenglet joining from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal.
However, the deal to bring him to north London is not believed to hold a buy-clause with the Frenchman set to return over the coming weeks.
There have been reports suggesting that Tottenham may look to make his stay in N17 permanent by negotiation a deal with the Spanish giants.
But it is apparent the arrival of Lenglet this season has not been enough with Tottenham holding the sixth-worst defensive record in the league.
Indeed, only a handful of sides have conceded more goals this term than the Lilywhites (57).
However, a report from Spain has claimed they still hold an interest in Torres but may face competition from his former manager Unai Emery and Aston Villa this summer.
It seems the 26-year-old, who has been said to have "tremendous calmness", may not only have offers from the Premier League over the coming months with Fabrizio Romano noting Juventus' believed interest.
And speaking on his Here We Go podcast, the Italian journalist has revealed the possible price tag that Villarreal could put on his head:
(39:55) "This is a possibility. Pau Torres is one of the names they have in the list at Juventus. It also depends on the price tag because if I'm not wrong, I think he has a release clause close to €50m (£43.3m). But, from what I understand, Villarreal are prepared to let him go for less than this - opinion - could be maybe €35m/€40m (£30m/£34m)."
Would Torres improve Spurs?
The Spaniard typically plays as the left-sided centre-back in the Villarreal backline, suggesting he may be viewed as an alternative to Ben Davies/Lenglet (via Transfermarkt).
Torres has played a significant role in the La Liga side this season having racked up 30 appearances in the league alone.
And this is a side who have been able to maintain a solid defensive record this season having only conceded 34 goals across the term.
The £63k-per-week defender has been hailed as "brilliant" by broadcaster Semra Hunter and he has certainly shown glimpses of brilliance as he ranks inside the top fifth percentile for progressive passes and carries (via FBref).
However, there are some slightly concerning returns defensively as he only ranks in the bottom percentile for interceptions across other centre-backs.
In comparison to Lenglet, Torres has provided fewer tackles, blocks, interceptions and successful aerial duels per 90 minutes this season (via Fbref).
It is apparent Spurs need to sort out their defence over the summer, however, perhaps the Spaniard is not the man to bring the change they need in north London.