Chelsea to battle Arsenal and Tottenham for La Liga defender - Reports

Chelsea are reportedly in a race with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to snap up Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres next summer.

Torres, 25, has been one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe due to his impressive performances for Villarreal. Since returning from a fruitful loan at Malaga in the summer of 2019, he has established himself as a first-team starter for his boyhood club.

A left-footed ball-playing centre-back, Torres has grown in leaps and bounds under head coach Unai Emery, helping his team lift the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League trophy. He has registered 11 goals and six assists in 142 appearances across all competitions for the Yellow Submarine.

According to Fichajes, Chelsea are set to face competition from London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for Torres' signature in the summer of 2023. Blues head coach Graham Potter has identified the Spaniard as the ideal candidate to add defensive depth to his squad.

Meanwhile, the Mikel Arteta-coached outfit are keen to replace Gabriel Magalhaes with Torres, whose contract is set to expire in June 2024.

Antonio Conte, on the other hand, has asked the club hierarchy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to bring in reinforcements at the heart of the defense. As per the aforementioned report, Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet have failed to impress their boss this season.

Torres has opened the 2022-23 campaign on a positive note with Villarreal. He has started all six of his team's La Liga matches, helping the club register four clean sheets. He has featured in just 39 minutes in his club's ongoing UEFA Europa Conference League campaign.

While Chelsea are next scheduled to be in action against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday (October 1), Arsenal will next play Tottenham at the Emirates on the same day.

Chelsea can re-sign Tammy Abraham for €80 million in the summer of 2023

In his column for Caught Offside, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claimed that Chelsea have a buy-back clause for AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham. He also shed light on his current situation. He wrote:

"Chelsea have €80m buy-back clause for Tammy Abraham next summer, but again, Tammy is happy at Roma right now, and there are no talks or negotiations with any clubs."

He added:

"It's really important to mention that he's happy there with Jose Mourinho as manager now – the Portuguese has given him a chance to shine, and it's been an important step for him."

Abraham, who has four years left on his contract at the Stadio Olimpico, left the west London outfit for €38 million last summer. He has registered 29 goals and seven assists in 61 matches for Roma.