Juventus have now entered the race to secure the services of Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres (Calciomercato), who is also said to be a target for Tottenham Hotspur (The Mirror).
The Italian giants are said to have added the Spaniard to their transfer plans as a result of Matthijs de Ligt being linked with an exit from the Old Lady.
Tottenham have already brought in Clement Lenglet from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal (The Athletic) for the left-sided central defensive role. Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed earlier this month that Spurs could still decide to target another central defender who fits into that same role (GiveMeSport).
Since Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has also become a target for the north Londoners recently (The Mirror), it would make sense to have at least a shortlist of options to deal with potential setbacks during transfer pursuits.
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Antonio Conte’s side would be wise to be on alert, considering how Massimiliano Allegri had Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly, who is seemingly close to joining the Blues (Fabrizio Romano), as his priority target. Even if Thomas Tuchel’s team is no longer the favourite to sign de Ligt, he is still in line to leave Italy, with a move to Bayern Munich being on the horizon.
We could use another addition in the left centre-half role looking at how Ben Davies was forced to deputise last time around. While he did fare well in that position, it is always best to have someone who is naturally suited to be played in that area.
Signing Torres would be a great option indeed, with Lenglet being a backup option to the Villarreal star. Then again, the former’s €50million valuation is something that could potentially be an issue for us. Perhaps Fabio Paratici could look to facilitate a swap deal between the Spanish international and Giovani Lo Celso this summer.
After all, the Spanish side is interested in signing Lo Celso (AS), so perhaps an exchange deal could help us to gain an edge over the Italian outfit in this situation. It remains to be seen if such an outcome would be possible or not, as the north Londoners look to back their man in charge in this transfer window.
Torres made himself on Juve’s radar when he helped Unai Emery to knock the Bianconeri out of the Champions League last season. As such, Spurs would need to be wary of the Italian giants as they are at risk of losing de Ligt with Giorgio Chiellini having left to join Los Angeles FC and Leonardo Bonucci being in the twilight of his playing career.
