Manchester United ‘lining up’ £42m bid for Unai Emery favourite

The Red Devils are reportedly preparing a January approach for Torres having been impressed with the central defender’s progress at Villa Park.

Man Utd, despite keeping clean sheets in four Premier League matches, have remained vulnerable defensively so far this season. Although they’ve already signed Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro under Erik ten Hag, it’s speculated United want yet another defender to fix their woes.

Reports in Spain suggest United have shortlisted Torres and are lining up an offer of around €50 million (£40 million) in an attempt to pry him away this January. There was a good chance to assess the Spain international firsthand on the weekend, too, as ten Hag‘s men drew 0-0 with Villa.

It’s claimed Torres has been made aware of United’s interest but his preference is to focus on Villa for the foreseeable future. With the club currently fifth in the Premier League and two out of two in the Champions League, that mindset is understandable.

Torres, a personal favourite of Unai Emery having worked with the head coach at Villarreal before his move to Villa, has become a vital player at the club. The defender fits Emery’s tactics superbly as he’s comfortable moving wide as a left-sided centre-back to kick-start attacks.

Those ball-playing qualities played a big part in Torres earning his move to the Premier League in the first place, as Villa paid £31.5 million to Villarreal to acquire his services in July 2023.