Tottenham Hotspur have been given a boost in their hopes of signing Villarreal defender Pau Torres, following claims made by journalist Dean Jones.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected transfer insider hinted that the Spaniard is a close to a departure from the La Liga club, with Spurs needing to take advantage of that by pushing for a deal this summer.
Amid rumours about the 25-year-old potentially making the move to the Premier League, Jones said of the player’s situation: “Pau Torres is good value at £45 million, to be honest. It’s really hard to find centre-backs that have been tested at European level and are available.
“I believe that Torres will now become available, he’s been mooted for a transfer for so long that it seems imminent. So, I think Tottenham should push for him and look to get that perfect partner for Romero.”
This follows reports that claimed that the Lillywhites could secure a deal for £10m less than the 17-cap international’s reported £55m release clause, although transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently suggested that the clause could be closer to €60m (£50.9m).
That revelation will no doubt get Tottenham supporters excited, with the £63k-per-week gem seemingly the answer to their defensive prayers as the club are believed to be eyeing a new left-sided centre-back as a summer priority.
At present, the only comfortable option in that role is Ben Davies, and despite his impressive form of late it would seem that a top-class upgrade is needed, should serial-winning coach Antonio Conte wish to challenge for major honours next term.
Torres, who has been dubbed “sublime”, could be that much-needed upgrade, with the one-time Malaga loanee having emerged as one of Europe’s leading centre-backs over the past few seasons.
After helping Unai Emery’s side clinch the Europa League title last year against Manchester United – a club with whom he has also been linked – the local lad has kicked on again this season, playing a pivotal role in the Yellow Submarine’s remarkable run to the Champions League semi-finals.
In his 12 outings in Europe’s premier competition this term, the 6 foot 3 colossus has averaged 1.3 tackles and an outstanding 5.2 clearances per game, while also proving himself to be near-immaculate in possession, recording an 88% pass accuracy rate.
Domestically it has been a similar story, as he has won 67% of his total duels and kept 10 clean sheets. He also scores highly for his ball-playing attributes, ranking in the top 10% for progressive carries and progressive passes among centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues, and in the top 1% for dribbles completed.
Possessing that ability to bring the ball out from the back with ease is vital in Conte’s back-three system, with Torres the ideal fit to improve the club’s defensive ranks.
In other news, Conte demands Spurs to sign £25m-rated “revelation”, he’s miles better than Emerson