Chelsea: Blues ‘keeping tabs’ on Pau Torres before January

Adam Clancy 18 November 2022, 13:35 2 minutes read

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group B - Portugal v Spain - Estadio Municipal de Braga, Braga, Portugal - September 27, 2022 Spain's Pau Torres in action with Portugal's Ruben Neves REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

Chelsea are reportedly ‘keeping tabs’ on Villarreal defender Pau Torres ahead of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: World Cup bound

Torres is one of many stars to look out for at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as he heads to the tournament having been picked for the Spain squad by manager Luis Enrique.

His side won 3-1 against Jordan on Thursday afternoon in a warm-up friendly in preparation for the World Cup, with Torres playing the full 90 minutes.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘keeping tabs’ on Torres

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that Chelsea are ‘keeping tabs’ on Torres’ situation at Villarreal ahead of January, along with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The La Liga club are ‘ready to sell’, with Torres holding a £55m release clause in his contract, but they will consider a fee upwards of £40m.

However, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Wolves, Manchester United, PSG and Inter Milan are also thought to be interested in his signature, so there could be a huge battle on the cards for Graham Potter’s side to get this deal done.

Should Chelsea sign Torres?

Yes

No

The Verdict: Get it done

Potter has been struggling to find a natural fit at the left-hand side of his back three, with more natural left-back Marc Cucurella often being deployed there.

As a natural left-footer, Torres would slot in perfectly, and Cucurella could then play in a more comfortable wing-back role.

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First up in this Chelsea World Cup quiz, the Blues have how many players in the England squad for Qatar 2022?

Hailed as a ‘sensational’ and ‘superb’ defender by Enrique, the 6 foot 3 colossus has played no fewer than 150 times for Villarreal at club level, including 12 appearances in the Champions League last term, as he helped his team to reach the semi-finals of the competition (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, with the spotlight set to be on Torres in the World Cup, Chelsea will need to act fast if they are to snap up the 25-year-old in January ahead of their rivals.