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Cape Town - Arsenal manager Unai Emery is looking to highly rated Villareal defender Pau Torres to solve the North London side's problems at the heart of the defence.
The Gunners have struggled defensively this season, shipping in 17 goals already, and reports are rife suggesting under-fire boss Emery is keen to draft in a new central defender to stem the flow.
Emery’s men last kept a clean sheet in October and have one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League, something that needs addressing if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top four.
With that in mind, the Gunners board are ready to sanction a move for Torres, but he will not come cheap with Villarreal said to be holding out for a fee in the region of £43 million.
The 22-year-old has taken time to break into the La Liga side and was sent out on loan to Malaga last season to get some much-needed first-team action under his belt.
It appears to have done the trick and he has returned a much better player, becoming a regular for the Yellow Submarine and impressing with his performances.
The youngster has now caught the eye of Arsenal scouts and reports are rife suggesting a swoop will be on the cards as soon as the transfer window opens.
Torres has just made his debut for Spain and chipped in with a goal as they hammered Malta 7-0. His stock is set to rise even further if he continues to shine, and Arsenal needs to move quickly before the transfer fee starts shooting up.
£43 million could turn out to be a snip and money well spent considering he is just 22 and has all of his best years ahead of him.
David Luiz has turned out to be a disappointment since arriving from Chelsea while Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi have been inconsistent, to say the least. Rob Holding is back fit but that will not stop Emery bidding for Torres.
- TeamTalk Media
