Arsenal could enter the race for Villarreal star Pau Torres as a replacement for Gabriel Magalhaes, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Magalhaes has attracted a host of attention from other clubs, which has seen him heavily linked with a departure from the Emirates. Juventus are among the potential suitors (The Independent), which could prompt the Gunners to turn their attentions to Torres, who has also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur (The Mirror).
Torres, who plays as a left-sided centre-back, is currently valued in the region of £42million (The Sun) and could also become an option for the Bianconeri if they are priced out in their pursuit of Magalhaes which could be a problem for Tottenham since they are said to be still considering bringing in another defender (Evening Standard).
Spurs have already moved to bring in Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona to bolster Antonio Conte’s options on the left side of defence to provide competition for Ben Davies.
Romano told The Here We Go Podcast: “Many, many clubs are in for Gabriel Magalhaes. It’s not going to be an easy one because Arsenal have no intention of selling him. But many clubs are tracking this deal.
“And let’s see what happens with Arsenal for Pau Torres, in case some top club will arrive for Gabriel. He could be an option for Arsenal.”
Our View
It has already been claimed that we could look to reinforce the backline once again this summer (Evening Standard). With wing-backs signings having been made on both sides, it is likely for the new potential target to be another central defender for the upcoming campaign.
That is especially the case when Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga have been touted to leave N17 in this transfer window. AS Roma is a potential option for Rodon (90min), while Tanganga is heavily linked with a move to join AC Milan (Gianluca Di Marzio). Their exits could leave a gaping hole in our defence that must be addressed.
Meanwhile, Ben Davies would probably be the backup option in the left centre-back spot. Torres could have a role in our squad for that reason despite the Spaniard suffering a subdued campaign for his high standards last time around.
As such, this latest update regarding Mikel Arteta’s side could be concerning should they actively chase after Torres. The 25-year-old had turned down a move to join us last summer due to Champions League football (Football.London). Perhaps that could lend us a hand to gain an edge over our bitter rivals as we have qualified for next season’s CL, unlike them.
