Aston Villa has shocked many around the soccer world by agreeing a fee with Villarreal to sign Pau Torres. The Spanish center-back had previous links to top clubs such as Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Nevertheless, manager Unai Emery grabs his number one summer transfer target.

Along with the transfer fee, The Athletic is reporting that the West Midlands side has also agreed personal terms with the player. Although an official price tag has not yet been revealed, Villa will at the very least come close to breaking their transfer record for a player. Emiliano Buendia is currently the club’s record transfer after joining the team in 2021 for a base fee of $42 million. The Guardian is claiming that Torres will cost Villa in the neighborhood of $44 million.

Pau Torres reunites with Emery in massive deal for Aston Villa

Nabbing Torres out of the grasp of top Champions League clubs is a significant coup for Villa. The 26-year-old Spain international is widely regarded as one of the top central defenders in Europe. While few thought that the team could compete with top sides for Torres, he will now reunite with Emery in England.

Torres previously played under Emery’s guidance at Villarreal from 2020 to 2022. The two helped the Spanish side win the Europa League during the 2020/21 campaign. Torres was included in the competition’s best XI for the triumph.

Emery, Monchi key to Villa’s success with transfers

Things certainly changed for the better at the team when they brought in Emery as manager back in November. The Villans were sitting 16th in the Premier League table after a disastrous start of the campaign under Steven Gerrard. Nevertheless, Emery guided the club up to a respectable seventh place in the final standings. As a result, Villa will feature in the Europa Conference League in the upcoming campaign.

Monchi, the director of football operations at Villa, played a massive role in this deal. Prior to joining the club, Monchi and Emery had a history. Monchi held the position of sporting director at Sevilla. In fact, Monchi hired Emery as manager in 2013. Emery led Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League titles before departing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.

Despite hitting some rough patches in recent years, Villa has shown a direct signal of intent with major moves as of late. The massive Torres deal could very well be just the start of key transfers for Emery and Monchi. Fans of the club will be hoping that the duo keep delivering on these significant targets in the years to come.

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