Aston Villa could potentially sign Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres on the cheap this summer, according to an update from journalist Ryan Taylor.

After Villa after Torres this summer?

This summer promises to be an exciting one at Villa Park, with Unai Emery expected to be backed in the transfer market, bolstering his squad significantly in the process.

Centre-back is one area that Villa could certainly look to strengthen in and Torres is someone who has been linked with a move to the club a number of times in recent months.

The £48,000-a-week Spaniard again enjoyed an impressive season for Villarreal, starting 34 of his side's 38 La Liga matches, and he also featured once for Spain at the 2022 World Cup.

There is nothing to suggest that Villa won't keep looking to bring in Torres before the start of next season, with a fresh update hinting at as much.

Could Villans sign Torres on the cheap?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor continued to talk up Torres' possible move to Villa, claiming they could sign him for cheaper than the amount in his release clause:

"I think they'll be looking at Torres. Torres has one year left on his contract and a substantial release clause, but I think Villarreal will probably sell for significantly less than that this summer.

"The only thing I'd probably say is that he is a left-sided centre back and they do have Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos at the moment. So I'm not sure whether it is 100% viable, but he's a player highly rated by Emery."

Torres could be the perfect centre-back signing for Villa, coming in as someone with genuine experience at an elite level, and an individual who can take Emery's team to new heights.

The 26-year-old's pedigree is summed up by a tally of 23 caps for Spain, in a squad featuring world-class talent everywhere you look, from Rodri to Pedri, and also 136 outings in La Liga overall.

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has described Torres as "fantastic" in the past, also lauding his "fabulous left foot", and his combination of defensive expertise and quality in possession could help make Villa even more formidable under Emery next season.

More signings would still be needed for that to happen – fitting both him and Tyrone Mings may not be easy either, due to both being left-footed – but the Villarreal man would be an ideal place to start, linking up with his former manager and immediately coming in as arguably the best defender at the club.