‘Decisive’ – Next few weeks key as Aston Villa hover for signing, looks like an Alemany special

Aston Villa have been linked with Pau Torres since November 2021, when Steven Gerrard was in charge of the Premier League club.

At that time it was seen as hugely ambitious from the Birmingham club, because the Villarreal player was being linked with bigger sides in European competitions.

The links have returned, and now feel a lot stronger. With Unai Emery in charge at Aston Villa and Mateu Alemany arriving as sporting director from Barcelona, the club looks to have a bright future.

Rather than it being overly ambitious for Villa, it now looks like a fortunate move for the defender.

Last week, we covered claims which stated Emery’s side is the ‘most plausible’ option for Torres, and it was stated he could move for around €30m.

That’s a much lower fee than was reported ahead of previous windows, and will be due to the player’s contract situation. The 26-year-old’s deal with Villarreal expires in June 2024, so they have to make a decision on his future this summer.

Monday’s edition of AS reports it’s a ‘decisive’ few weeks ahead for him. When asked at the weekend about a possible renewal, he chose to sit on the fence and be non committal, which is seen as a clear sign he could be off.

Villarreal can still seal a Champions League place. If they do so, there will be a temptation to stay, or at least a hesitation to move to a club not in Europe’s elite competition.

Juventus are also keen, but wouldn’t be able to compete with Aston Villa on salary.

Interestingly, AS say there’s also Premier League interest in other Villarreal players, with Yeremy Pino, Nico Jackson and Samu Chukwueze named.

Alemany will be aware of all the contract situations, and as he’s shown at Barcelona… if there’s a route to a bargain deal he’ll try to take it.