Report: Chelsea ready to enter race to sign ‘amazing’ £55m defender, Pochettino has liked him for ages

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Chelsea are interested in signing Villarreal star Pau Torres, according to reports.

The Mirror claims in its print edition (Page 48, 10 May) that Chelsea are ready to enter the race for Pau Torres and fight Aston Villa for his signature.

It is understood that the Blues and Villa would both like to sign the 26-year-old defender, who will soon be entering the final year of his contract at Villarreal.

The report claims that there’s a £55million release clause in the centre-back’s current deal.

In addition, The Mirror adds that incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is a long-term admirer of Torres and does want some new signings once the current squad is cut at Stamford Bridge.

We think Torres is a very talented player that can operate at the highest level.

The Spain international is a very important individual for La Liga club Villarreal with his composure and quality at the back.

He’s a left-footed centre-half that Villa boss Unai Emery previously described as “amazing”.

If Chelsea are serious about signing Torres, they should be cautious that Villa’s current manager Emery already has a relationship with the player after coaching him at Villarreal.

Our main issue with this speculation is that Chelsea already own two left-footed centre-halves with big potential.

First of all, Benoit Badiashile has made a really positive impact since his mid-season arrival at Stamford Bridge.

He’s a 22-year-old that has great composure and quality as a left-footed centre-back. Also, Blues interim boss Frank Lampard has called Badiashile a “big talent”.

Meanwhile, Chelsea supporters are intrigued to see if 20-year-old centre-half Levi Colwill is good enough to come into the squad next season when he returns from his loan at Brighton.

We’re struggling to see the need to spend £50million-plus on another defender in this position.