Villa sign Torres in massive Pau-er play by Emery

Aston Villa have completed the eye-catching signing of Spain international Pau Torres from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee.

The highly-rated defender has opted to reunite with Villa boss Unai Emery, who he enjoyed two successful seasons working under with the Yellow Submarine.

Torres' arrival is regarded as a coup for the West Midlands outfit after being previously linked with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Villa now have a healthy set of centre-backs to choose from, with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa the first choices last term and Diego Carlos also waiting in the wings.

The 26-year-old is the second recruit at Villa Park this summer after Youri Tielemans joined on a free transfer from Leicester to add to their midfield options.

Squad depth will be crucial to Emery ahead of what will be a packed schedule next term due to Villa's involvement in the Europa Conference League.

Torres has valuable European experience, winning the Europa League in 2021 after scoring in Villarreal's dramatic penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the final.

The Spaniard made 173 appearances for the club in total and also has 23 caps for the national team, scoring one goal against Malta in November 2019. He was selected for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where he won a silver medal.

Villa's newest star is set to make his debut for the club away to Newcastle on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.