BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has backed a potential Aston Villa move for Villarreal and Spain central defender Pau Torres.

The Lowdown: Emery gives green light

As per Football Insider, Villa have made Torres a 'top target' after being given the 'green light' by Unai Emery. They are 'keeping tabs' on the Spaniard, who is at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, ahead of the January and summer transfer windows.

Torres is valued at £40m, as the Villa Park outfit look to bring in a new left-sided centre-back.

The Latest: Hutton backs move

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has claimed that Torres is a 'fantastic footballer', and that he would improve the team:

“Emery is certain to want to put his own stamp on the team.

“It happens all the time – managers going back to their old sides. It’s familiarity, Emery knows what he’s all about.

“Torres is a fantastic footballer and he’d definitely come in and make that position better and make it his own spot.

“Especially with Carlos coming back, bringing in that sort of competition for places is going to really shore up one of the weakest spots in this Villa team.”

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-updates-copy-2/" title="Aston Villa latest updates! (Copy)" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Get it done

If there is an opportunity for Villa to bring in Torres, then they must do so at all costs. Only Tyrone Mings (4.8) in Emery's squad is averaging more clearances per game than Torres (four) in their respective domestic leagues so far this season, while he also plays more long balls (4.9) than any outfield Villa player.

This shows the 25-year-old as an all-round defender, and having played over 100 times under Emery before, it could well turn out to be a match made in heaven.

Nonetheless, new signing Diego Carlos is still out injured long-term, so Torres would help fill that position well, and provide competition for when the Brazilian returns.