A report from Spanish newspaper SPORT claims that Juventus are close to agreeing a deal for Villarreal defender Pau Torres. The Bianconeri are looking to reinforce their squad in a number of positions, including defence, where they have been lacking a strong presence since the departure of Giorgio Chiellini.
Sport report that the Bianconeri are ‘very keen’ on Torres and a deal is ‘close to being finalised’. The 26-year-old centre-back has a contract with Villarreal until 2024 which includes a release clause of €50 million, but Juve are reportedly in talks with the Yellow Submarines over a transfer this summer.
The newspaper claims that Juve have already met with Villarreal twice to discuss a potential deal, and both meetings have been ‘favourable’. The two sides are yet to reach an agreement, but the suggestion is that Villarreal are aware they won’t be able to keep Torres beyond this summer, and may be prepared to accept an offer from the Old Lady.
The next few days are expected to be ‘decisive’ with a number of other clubs also interested in the centre-back, however La Vecchia Signora are thought to be closest in the race to sign the Spanish international.
Juventus were heavily linked with Torres last summer after they sold Matthijs De Ligt to Bayern Munich, with the Spaniard very much admired by the management team at Continassa. Juve were reportedly unable to negotiate a fee and ultimately opted to sign Torino defender Bremer instead.
