Manchester United are set to step up their transfer activity following the appointment of Erik ten Hag, Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News reports.
The lowdown
United announced on Thursday that Ten Hag would become the permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford.
A big summer awaits for the club, who have fallen from second in the Premier League table last season to sixth this year. They could yet match their worst-ever Premier League finish of seventh, recorded in 2013/14.
United may have had to put transfer operation on hold as they negotiated with Ten Hag. The Dutchman reportedly wanted to be '100% involved' in deciding on new signings (via Fabrizio Romano).
The latest
Luckhurst tweeted on Friday morning that 'United [are now] set to advance with negotiations for certain targets' now that Ten Hag's arrival has been confirmed.
In the attached story, he names Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres as one of the players shortlisted.
Torres was apparently United's plan B had they failed in their efforts to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid last summer.
Elsewhere, The Red Devils are thought to have enquired about a young Premier League striker.
And they had already set a move for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips in motion, even before Ten Hag's appointment was made official.
The verdict
United are clearly long-term admirers of Torres, and fans will be familiar with him too.
They've faced The Yellow Submarine three times in the past year, losing to Unai Emery's side on penalties in the Europa League final before exacting revenge with a pair of victories in the Champions League group stage.
Still, the first of those wins was certainly hard-fought, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a 93rd-minute winner on home soil after Paco Alcacer had put the visitors in front.
Torres impressed that night, winning five of the six duels he contested, completing 64 of his 66 passes (97%), making three clearances and even pulling off two dribbles (via SofaScore).
The Spaniard, who has 'barbarous natural talent' and 'tremendous' confidence in possession according to former coaches, is valued at £45million by Transfermarkt.
In other news, Sky Sports have shared a further update concerning Ten Hag.