Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd 'working on' move for £52m maestro who shone at Old Trafford last year

Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on Manchester United‘s pursuit of Pau Torres in an interview with GiveMeSport.

The Red Devils were interested in signing the Villarreal centre-back last summer as a backup to new arrival Raphael Varane, and they have nd now reignited their pursuit of the Spain international, with recently-appointed United manager Erik ten Hag having been consulted.

The 25-year-old’s contract with the La Liga club contains a release clause of around £52m, as per Romano.

The Italian journalist has now claimed that United have learned that they can sign Torres for a reduced fee. Intermediaries have been trying to strike an agreement that could see the move reach the next stage.

He told GiveMeSport: “For Pau Torres, they know he has a release clause of around €60m (£52m), but they also know that Villarreal would be willing to negotiate for something less than this.

“It could be around €45m-€50m (£38m-£43m). So they have all the conditions set, and they have had some conversations with intermediaries working on this deal.”

If United can agree a deal with Villarreal via these intermediaries, then the next challenge is persuading the player to come to Old Trafford.

Torres knows that he’d be competing with not only Varane but also club captain Harry Maguire, the most expensive defender in football history.

Beyond that, the Spaniard has made clear his preference to play Champions League football next season. United had to settle for a place in the Europa League after finishing sixth in last season’s Premier League.

The Red Devils saw first-hand how good he was in last season’s Champions League group stage. Even though Villarreal lost 2-1 at Old Trafford in September, Torres stood out on