Tottenham transfer latest: Paratici working on Pau Torres deal with unwanted star offered as bait
Tottenham are reportedly working on a deal to bring Pau Torres to north London this summer – with the Spain defender seemingly the man at the top of Antonio Conte’s wanted list.
The Spain defender has long been on the radar of the Premier League’s big hitters. Indeed, he came close to a move to Manchester United last summer before the Red Devils instead opted for Raphael Varane instead. And while the latter had a stop-start season at Old Trafford, Torres furthered his reputation with some excellent displays for the Yellow Submarine.
Indeed, they earned many admirers with their run through to the Champions League semi-finals. Knocking out Juventus and Bayern Munich along the way, they ultimately fell short against Liverpool.
Much of their success was built on their solid defensive line, with Torres at the heart of it.
Now he is back on the radar of Premier League sides once again – and this time a move looks more likely.
The 25-year-old was first linked with a move to Spurs last summer. However, their lack of Champions League football meant a move was impossible. Indeed, Torres himself has even explained why the move failed to materialise.
But now they can offer him a place in Europe’s elite competition, Conte and Spurs are seemingly growing in hope a deal may materialise.
Swap deal in the works for Tottenham
Indeed, as per Sky Italia, Tottenham are ‘working on a deal’ for the defender with an opening offer being prepped.
The 18-times capped star will reportedly cost around £42m – a fee within Tottenham’s reach. However, director Fabio Paratici plans to sweet the move by offering Giovani Lo Celso as a makeweight in the negotiations.
The Argentine star caught the eye during his half a season at El Madrigal, with some stirring displays during Villarreal’s run in Europe.
As such, they are keen to make his move there a permanent one and are ready to put £17m on the table. That would see Spurs take a £10m hit on the £27m they paid Real Betis for him in 2020.
But if they can take Torres to the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium as part of the deal, it will make it a lot easier to digest for Spurs.
Pau Torres deal would end Bastoni links
Conte is very much keen to add a new central defender to his ranks this summer. Playing in his preferred 3-5-2 formation, Spurs have sometimes lacked the quality options in defence to make that plan fully effective.
Pau Torres only moving to Champions League club
Pau Torres is set to leave Villarreal but will only leave for Champions League club dealing big blow to Tottenham and Manchester United but boost for Chelsea
They are reportedly also casting their eyes on Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni. However, reports on Wednesday claim he is more likely to move to Manchester United this summer.
Furthermore, Bastoni has dismissed comments suggesting he is a target for Tottenham or United.
Speaking after Italy’s Nations League win over Hungary, he said: “I am an Inter player. I have a two-year contract with Inter.
“The club has not communicated anything to me. I go on vacation after the national team, and then I start again with Inter.”
Speaking with SportItalia, his agent Tullio Tinti added: “He is certainly a big fan of the team he plays for, so he will happily remain at Inter.
“However, he is also a professional. This is football and he has to adjust. It’s clear he is very happy to play for Inter and feels this jersey like a tattoo on his skin.”
And it seems their interest in Pau Torres would end Bastoni’s chances of a move to Tottenham anyway.
