Chelsea will look to target centre-back Pau Torres, according to reports from Spain.
The west Londoners invested heavily in their defence in the summer, signing Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella for around £170m, but the spending in that position looks set to continue.
There has already been a change in the dugout this season, with Thomas Tuchel being relieved of his duties. Graham Potter has been appointed in his stead and, after an initial assessment of the squad, it seems that the 47-year-old knows where he wants to reinforce.
Chelsea to rival London duo for Torres
Spanish reports have claimed that Chelsea will rival north London pair Arsenal and Tottenham for the signing of Villarreal centre-back Torres.
The 25-year-old is ‘close to leaving for the Premier League’ when the season ends, and the Blues are thought to have him ‘in their sights’.
The source suggests that the Stamford Bridge club are on the hunt for more central defenders in an attempt to offer greater choice to Potter. The manager is said to have told the Chelsea hierarchy that they need ‘more quality’ and ‘good ball output’ in that area, and Torres could certainly help in that regard.
One of the best defenders on the ball
Hailed by BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves as a ‘fantastic’ player with a ‘fabulous’ left foot, the 21-cap Spain international has emerged as one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in Europe.
With a similar stylistic profile to Manchester City duo John Stones and Ruben Dias, Torres ranks in the top 8% of his positional peers across Europe for progressive passes per 90 (4.66) according to FBref.
Over the past 12 months, he has posted an 85.9% pass completion rate and ranks in the top 2% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed (0.7) per game, illustrating a comfort in possession.
Heralded as ‘sensational’ by his national team boss Luis Enrique, it is clear to see why some of England’s finest are keeping an eye on the 6 foot 4 star, and hopefully Chelsea can win the three-way London race for his signature.
