Chelsea ‘enter race’ for Villarreal’s Pau Torres — report

With Chelsea’s need for a centre back laid bare in Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat at West Ham, hopefully the team will be looking for some defensive reinforcements in addition to all the marquee names rumored in attack. Declan Rice was the first name mentioned along those lines, and more names are surely expected to follow suit.

According to the Daily Mail, one other option could be Pau Torres, who plies his trade with Villarreal, where he has a £45m release clause. The 23-year-old has been really impressive this season in La Liga, and good performances always garner interest. According to the report, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona are all potentially vying for his signature.

Born and raised in the city, the Villarreal academy product has made 31 appearances this season, and has been an integral part of their campaign, which sees them sit 5th, just three points away from a Champions League spot. Torres also made his debut for Spain in November.

He is left-footed, and is quite tall at 1.91 metres, which would help with our aerial problems.

Torres’ contract runs all the way until 2024, but the affordable release clause could mean that he won’t see 2021 with them, let alone 2024.

Pau Torres may still be quite raw, but he is young, and there is potential to improve. He could be an intriguing option as Chelsea look to strengthen at centre back for next season.