How much Man Utd would have to pay for Spain defender Pau Torres
Manchester United continue to track Villarreal and Spain centre-back Pau Torres ahead of the summer transfer window and may be able to negotiate a fee below his €65m (£55.8m) buyout clause - but only if Villarreal fail to qualify for Europe next season.
Goalscoring Roma defender Gianluca Mancini has also been linked as a potentially cheaper alternative, although Chelsea have been billed as potential rivals for his signature.
Centre-back is a priority position for United ahead of the 2021/22 campaign as the club looks to find a partner to bring out the best in £80m captain Harry Maguire.
There are doubts that Victor Lindelof is the answer, while Eric Bailly is rarely fit - despite his skillset being more of a complementary match for the skipper.
Torres has been on United’s radar for some time already and 90min revealed in November that he has been identified as a potential long-term partner for Maguire, rising to the top of a shortlist that formerly also featured Bayern Munich-bound Dayot Upamecano.
United have not been immune to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and cannot afford to spend freely on new players at the end of this campaign. They are already hopeful that the gamble of last summer’s standoff over Jadon Sancho will pay off by reducing the price, while any way to shave the cost of bringing in a top centre-back would probably be welcome.
A report from ESPN notes that United have been ‘in touch’ with Torres’ representatives in recent weeks, although it is suggested that Villarreal will point potential suitors to the €65m clause. The only exception would be if they fail to qualify for European competition and reluctantly accept a lower bid for Torres, who is also being watched by Real Madrid.
Villarreal have been in the Europa League in six of the last seven seasons and missing out completely has been a rarity for them since the early 2000s as one of Spain’s top clubs.
To ensure qualification for European competition via La Liga, Villarreal will need to finish in the top six. Sixth place would get them into the new Conference League, fifth place would mean entry into the Europa League, and top four equates to the Champions League.
There could, however, be a knock-on effect from the Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona in April that makes an extra place available through the league.
As things stand, Villarreal are seventh in La Liga, five points adrift of the top six and only two points clear of eighth place Levante, and four points clear of Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo and Granada.
In addition to Torres, United’s shortlist of centre-back options under consideration features Jules Kounde, Ben White and Caglar Soyuncu. Braga’s David Carmo has also been linked, while Real Madrid could end up selling four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane.
United are also now linked with 24-year-old Roma star Mancini, who has stood out since completing a permanent transfer from Atalanta last summer. The Daily Express claims he could be available for £27m, considerably less than Torres, and is also said to have caught the eye of Chelsea.
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