Wolves have been credited with an interest in Pau Torres recently and the Spain international could be the man to replace Conor Coady in Julen Lopetegui's side at Molineux.

The Old Gold have struggled defensively so far this season with a lack of centre-back options already costing the Midlands club in the Premier League.

Bruno Lage made the bold decision during the summer to loan club captain Coady to Everton, despite the loss of Romain Saiss on a free transfer.

Willy Boly was also allowed to join Nottingham Forest, which left just Max Kilman and new signing Nathan Collins as senior options in the heart of the defence, with the inexperienced Toti and Yerson Mosquera available as backups.

After Collins' red card against Manchester City, Lage was forced to deploy Ruben Neves at centre-back, which already undermined his decision to let Coady go, and now signing a centre-back to replace the Englishman at Molineux will be a priority for Lopetegui after the World Cup.

The 56-year-old manager will no doubt be keeping a close eye on proceedings in Qatar as he considers options for his new side and he could find the ideal replacement for Coady in Spanish compatriot Torres.

Spain take on Germany, Costa Rica and Japan in Group E and will no doubt be looking to go far in the competition after a promising European Championships that saw them defeated by Italy on penalties in the semi-final.

Gone are the days of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos starting at the back for Spain and Torres' solid form for Villarreal in recent seasons suggests that he could be one of the starters in Luis Enrique's defence.

Last season saw the 25-year-old centre-back average an impressive 6.86 rating from WhoScored for his performances in La Liga, while he also featured 12 times in the Champions League as the Yellow Submarine reached the semi-finals.

Wolves have looked shaky at the back in a number of Premier League fixtures this season and Torres could add an air of calm at the back, which has been missing since Coady's exit.

Villarreal B coach Miguel Alvarez testified to this in his description of the defender when he was still a teenager.

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.”

Therefore, he possesses experience at the top level of both club and international football, which is something neither Kilman nor Collins can boast, so he would be a superb addition to Wolves' backline as they look to replace Coady and amend Lage's mistake after the World Cup.