Just recently, it seemed as if Nathan Aké was eager to join Chelsea this summer.
Ever since signing for Manchester City in 2020, the former Bournemouth captain has been fourth-choice in the defensive pecking order at the club.
Keeping that in mind, it was claimed that the 27-year-old fancied a return to Stamford Bridge in a bid to be granted increased game time.
Thomas Tuchel’s side only had Thiago Silva at their disposal as an experienced defender at the time, with Kalidou Koulibaly eventually joining the club.
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As a result, it was heavily reported that the West Londoners were targeting the Dutchman’s arrival to bolster their depth at centre-back.
The speculation had also suggested that City were willing to sanction Aké’s sale, with the opportunity of either recouping or profiting off their initial £41 million investment on the player seeming likely for Pep Guardiola’s side.
However, it has since been stated by multiple credible sources that the two-time Premier League champion is set to stay put at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea were reportedly unwilling to concur with City’s £45 million valuation for the Dutch international, as they have moved on to other centre-back targets such as PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
At the time, when Aké looked destined for an exit from the North-West, City were also linked with a wide array of defenders around Europe as potential replacements for the outgoing defender.
A fresh revelation suggests which one of these options was closest to making the switch to East Manchester.
According to the latest information provided by transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, as relayed by Florian Plettenburg of Sky Deutschland, Pau Torres was offered to the Premier League champions by Villarreal.
It has been stated that the Spanish club were also keen on Chelsea finalising a move to sign the coveted defender, with Juventus now pushing to complete his coup for a fee in the range of €52 to €55 million.
A recent revelation had suggested that City themselves were eyeing a move for the 25-year old this summer.
However, the rumours around City’s interest in Torres are anything but new, with interest in the highly-rated centre-half stretching back to 2020.
The Spanish international was not the only defender tipped for a transfer to the English powerhouse, with other names such as Joško Gvardiol, Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde springing to mind.
City’s links to Pau Torres will soon be dead in the water, as they look set to continue with a defensive quartet of John Stones, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké next season.
They kick-off their preparations with two pre-season friendlies in the US - against Club América and Bayern Munich - before returning to England to face Liverpool in the Community Shield.
Just seven days later, they will begin their defence of the Premier League against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Topics: Manchester City, Villarreal, Premier League, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours
Srinivas Sadhanand