Villarreal have had one of the more discreet windows in La Liga, after last summer in which it was widely agreed the Yellow Submarine had stood out for their success. So far this time, several veterans have left on a free, while Jose Luis Morales and Pepe Reina have come in.
That could all be about to change though. Juventus appear to be planning for the possibility that Matthijs de Ligt exits the club and according to Diario AS, who cite Marco Guidi, Pau Torres is on their shortlist to replace the Dutchman.
The ‘boy from the village’ is one of the central figures at Villarreal and having seen his qualities up close in the Champions League, the Old Lady may well look at him as a smart move for an improving defender.
From their point of view, both Torres and Villarreal are relaxed about the situation. A fee of €50m would be required to extract him and the player himself is happy to stay in the event a good move does not present itself.
It would be no surprise to learn that Villarreal have a contingency plan already in place should Torres leave. The Yellow Submarine’s planning has been excellent over recent years, allowing them to hit new heights in their European endeavours.
