The representatives of Villarreal defender Pau Torres will ‘travel to England’ to negotiate his transfer to Manchester United.
New United boss Erik ten Hag is said to want the Spain international 'at all costs' as he aims to bolster his defence in the summer transfer window. Ten Hag attended his first United match in person as he watched them lose against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season and he will play an active role in the club's recruitment process this summer.
Ten Hag has already discussed the future of Cristiano Ronaldo as he looks set to oversee widespread changes in the first-team squad at the club. Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Lee Grant and Nemanja Matic are all leaving the club at the end of their respective contracts this season with an overhaul likely.
Yet defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are also up for sale with the club willing to listen to offers for the trio and Ten Hag will hope to bring in new arrivals to bolster their ranks. United have reactivated their interest in Torres, a long-term target.
The club explored the possibility of signing the Spanish international last summer but ultimately signed Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. There is the possibility that Bailly – who moved to Old Trafford from Villarreal – could be used as a makeweight in any deal to bring Torres to Manchester.
Varane has joined Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof to compete for the two starting spots but the trio have all had injury issues this season, while it has not been discounted that three central defenders could be played next campaign. Maguire has often played on the left-side of the defence but there have been suggestions that he is not comfortable in that position, with Torres naturally left footed.
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Torres starred in Villarreal's Europa League title last season and played an instrumental role in their run to the semi-finals of the Champions League this campaign, where they fell to Liverpool in the last four of the competition.
Spanish radio station Cadena Ser now report that the transfer to United has been 'discussed and negotiated' with the player's representatives, who may now travel to England in the next few days to speed up the process.
The talk from Spain of United moving for Torres is now picking up pace with multiple reports stating that the process for the signing is now well underway. Villarreal missed out on both Champions League and Europa League qualification this season, meaning that their finances have been squeezed and they will consider selling star assets.
