Tottenham Hotspur aren't finished bolstering Nuno Santo's backline, it appears...

What's the word?

According to The Times, Spurs are ready to launch a bid for Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres, who featured in Spain's Euro 2020 and Olympics squads this summer, where they made the semi-final and final respectively.

The left-footed 24-year-old has also been scouted by some of the Premier League's big dogs, including defending champions Manchester City, their local rivals United, and Liverpool.

His release clause has risen to €65m (£55m) after he reached a certain number of caps for the Spanish national side. However, the Lilywhites are hoping that they can secure him for a much lower fee.

Imagine him and Romero

Torres played an integral role in the Yellow Submarine's Europa League run, where they defeated Manchester United in the final. It's no wonder he was called up to both of Spain's squads throughout the summer.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 4 colossus rated as Unai Emery's fourth-best player (6.76) in La Liga last season. Across 33 starts, he proved his ball-playing ability by averaging an 87.8% passing accuracy and 0.8 dribbles per game.

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Furthermore, despite his towering presence, he was clocked as one of the top ten fastest players in the Spanish top-flight. It potentially suggests that he would have no problem in adapting to the speed of the Premier League, where he could cope with the demands of some of Europe's best and most prolific goalscorers.

Torres' playing style has been likened to Gerard Pique, which only adds weight to why Nuno may be keen on signing him, whilst Spurs legend Graham Roberts is a big fan of his, making a bold claim to Twitter this week.

"Absolutely brilliant player," he said. "I think him and Romero would be [the] strongest pair in [the] Prem[ier League]."

Indeed, Torres and new summer signing Cristian Romero could be a force to be reckoned with in the top-flight. It's certainly a more mouthwatering and formidable partnership than Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, the latter of whom is thought to be available for transfer.

Former Villarreal midfielder Javi Calleja, who coached the 24-year-old in his rise up through the youth system, once described him as an "extraordinary talent" as well as being a "sensational kid" - largely due to his attitude and willingness to improve.

He and Romero could be exactly what Nuno needs to transform Spurs' problematic backline. Torres may well cost a fair chunk of money at £55m but, on the above evidence, he would surely be worth every bit of it.

AND in other news, Paratici could seal Spurs transfer masterclass in bargain swoop for "dangerous" £18m-rated beast...