Eric Garcia is expected to leave Manchester City for Barcelona at the end of the season and the Manchester Evening News say Pau Torres is being lined up as a potential replacement. Manchester United are on the hunt for him too.
Pep Guardiola isn’t short of centre-backs with Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias at his disposal, but Garcia’s summer exit and Ake’s uncertain future might warrant him bringing somebody in.
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The 24-year-old has risen through the youth ranks to Villarreal’s first-team and has gone on to make 74 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and supplying two assists (Transfermarkt).
Torres has been a regular at centre-back this season, playing in every La Liga game under Unai Emery, conceding 29 goals and keeping six clean sheets (SoccerStars). He has a €50m (£42.8m) release clause, however, so he won’t come cheap.
Garcia has amassed only 200 minutes of Premier League football this season while Ake has racked up 469 (Transfermarkt) due to injury, so Guardiola might have a void to fill in the coming months. Torres is the ideal option as a left-footed centre-back, so it may be worth keeping an eye on outgoings.