Although a list of five Barcelona candidates as back-ups to Jules Kounde if he signs for Chelsea, 'Marca' now adds that Pau Torres of Villarreal is now in the equation. He has a contract until 2024 as a Villarreal player and his market value is 58 million euros.
Not only William Saliba, Milan Skriniar, Gvardiol, Inigo Martinez and Roger Ibanez are fighting for the spot in defence which Barcelona want to cover if they are unable to sign Jules Kounde. Pau Torres is also on their agenda, according to 'Marca'. It is the consequence of that the Sevilla defender is so close to signing for Chelsea.
The Villarreal central defender has a contract until 2024 and a market value of 58 million euros, so the financial conditions, as occurs with Lopetegui's player, are not the best for Barcelona. Their budget is affected and although the economic levers have got rid of the debt, they are still not 100%.
In addition, Chelsea, Man City and Juventus are also interested in him so his departure price could be greater than the one which is calculated. These clubs, to make things worse for the Spanish sides, do not have financial issues, so, in principle, they should be capable of putting more money on the table in less time.
Pau Torres performed at a very high level last season. He was a key player for Unai Emery and he had the best stats in terms of minutes and goals of his entire career despite being a defender. Thanks to his good work at the back, Villarreal managed to reach the Champions League semi-finals.