Spurs can seal "extraordinary" signing as Conte eyes swoop for Bonucci-like £45m titan - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur remain keen on Pau Torres despite closing in on a deal for Clement Lenglet…

That’s according to the Mirror, who claims that Spurs manager Antonio Conte is still pushing to complete a move for the Villarreal centre-back, even after bringing in the FC Barcelona man on loan.

The Italian head coach was keen for a left-footed centre-back this summer after relying on Ben Davies in his preferred back-three system, so Lenglet will plug that gap for the time being.

Despite this, Conte wants Torres in north London, though he could cost the Premier League club around £45m.

It does make sense to bring in another central option this summer as the Yellow Submarines colossus would add serious strength in depth to the backline.

Presuming Conte’s first-choice three would be Lenglet, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, then his backup options are surely Davinson Sanchez and Joe Rodon, who could even depart this window.

With the club competing in the Champions League, it’s important to have quality across the squad and Torres would provide that in abundance, perhaps even pushing the likes of Lenglet and Dier for a starting spot.

FBref list the Spaniard’s comparable players as Italy legend Leonardo Bonucci and Liverpool title-winner Joel Matip, so that only goes to show the calibre of player that Spurs could well receive.

Furthermore, the statistical website also ranks the 6 foot 3 titan amongst the top 1% of his positional peers across Europe for dribbles completed per 90 (0.8), as well as in the top 3% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.14).

Torres is even in the top 10% for progressive carries (4.71) and progressive passes (4.39) per 90, so that combined with the above evidence makes him a supreme ball-playing option in the