Manchester United ‘hold Pau Torres transfer talks’ as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eyes deal

Villarreal’s Pau Torres is ‘staying where he is’ claims pundit

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Manchester United have held an ‘informal consultation’ about the signing of Pau Torres, according to reports. The Villarreal star has flourished in La Liga this season. And a move to Old Trafford could be on the cards when the transfer window reopens at the end of the campaign.

Manchester United have seen Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire form a solid, if slightly inconsistent partnership at the back this season.

And, as a result, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to sign a new defender.

Eric Bailly could be sold, with the Ivory Coast international unhappy about his lack of action at Old Trafford.

And Solskjaer appears to not trust Axel Tuanzebe, with the defender making just six Premier League appearances this term.

As a result, links to Villarreal defender Torres have arisen.

And, now, Spanish newspaper AS say United have held an ‘informal consultation’ about a possible deal for the 24-year-old at the end of the season.

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The youngster has sparkled over in La Liga under Unai Emery, helping his side to fifth in the table – behind only Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

And United are very much intrigued by the prospect of landing him at the end of the season.

At the moment, Villarreal have had no offers for the centre-back. And they’d like to keep it that way, with the club ‘not willing to negotiate his sale’.

United would have to pay the player’s £42million release clause, a fee that will rise in the last 15 days of the transfer window.

So if Solskjaer deems Torres the right fit for his side, then the Red Devils will have to get the wheels moving quickly on a deal in order to avoid overpaying.

They certainly wouldn’t want a repeat of the Marouane Fellaini situation back in 2013.

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United refused to pay the Belgium international’s £22million release clause at Everton, only to end up spending £27m on his signing mere weeks later.

The report says Torres isn’t considering a move away from Villarreal at the current moment in time.

But that may not matter with United determined to secure his signature and deploy him alongside Maguire next term.

Meanwhile, United are in Premier League action against Tottenham today.

And Maguire has admitted he’s eagerly anticipating his battle with Harry Kane, who continues to be linked with a move to the Red Devils.

“I want to play in the biggest games possible against the best players; that’s why I joined this club. Harry [Kane] is one of those,” he said.

“I know him from England really well. He’s a top striker, one of the best in the world and he does it season after season, scores goals after goals.”

There’s no chance that their friendship from international duty will be seen on the pitch on Sunday, though.

“He’ll be ready for battle and I’ll be ready for battle. May the best man win,” Maguire explained.

“It’s not just individuals; it’s a team effort. As a defensive unit we’ve got to be strong, go there and get a clean sheet and give the team the best opportunity to win the game.”

Maguire also insists United have improved from a year ago, adding: “I think the improvement will be shown from this year to last year.

“That was the main aim: to improve on last year.

“We need to beat the points tally and if we finish above third [last year’s position] then obviously that’s even better.

“At this club, we want to be winning the Premier League but we also know that we’ve got a lot of improvement to be made to enable that. That’s what we’re striving to do. We need to kick on for the remaining games.”

“I’m definitely excited. It’s a major part of the season and it’s where you make the memories and the big moments whether it’s in the Cup or the league.

“I’m pretty sure when you look back on your career and you look at the [big] games, the majority of them come at the end of the season.”

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