Legend Santi Cazorla hails ‘brutal’ defender that is a target for Man United and Chelsea and boasts ‘very good vision’

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The Metro have cited comments from Santi Cazorla to Spanish outlet RAC1 that will be of interest to many followers of the world’s top clubs, as they’re about his former Villarreal teammate Pau Torres.

Cazorla was only a teammate of the centre-back’s for one season (19/20), but that was the campaign that Torres really came to the forefront as a star after returning from a season’s loan at Malaga.

The Arsenal legend told RAC1 that Torres is a ‘brutal player and ‘footballer’, adding that the ace has a ‘great personality’ and that he’s asked about the defender by his current Al Sadd boss and former Spain pal Xavi ‘a lot’.

That last line is something that will really catch the eye of Barcelona supporters, who has been linked with a return to the Catalan outfit as manager.

The Athletic reported last month that Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Chelsea have all been regularly watching the 24-year-old, who holds a relatively attractive release clause of €50m.

See More: Is Pau Torres the answer to Man United’s defensive issues?

Here’s what Cazorla has had to say on the centre-back:

“I think Pau Torres is a brutal player, Xavi asks me a lot about him. He is a young player, I think he is a brutal footballer. He has a great personality.”

“He has more Barça style, he gets the ball very well and he has a very good vision of game.”

That’s just the tipping point of the interest in Torres, with Don Balon claiming that the 6ft4 defender is also a target for Manchester United and Liverpool.

Torres was rock-solid at the back as Villarreal finished 5th last season, appearing 34 times in La Liga during an impressive campaign that saw him break into the Spain national team.

The ace has now become a fixture in the La Furia Roja’s squad. He’s made 28 appearances across all competitions this term under Unai Emery, leaving the side sixth in the Spanish top-flight and halfway to advancing in the Europa League after a 2-0 first-leg win against RB Salzburg last week.

One of the first top clubs to show interest in Torres was actually Arsenal, with their legend Cazorla even admitting that his Gunners pals were enquiring about the defender, this ship appeared to sail this summer though as Mikel Arteta has two left-footed centre-backs in his ranks now, Gabriel and Pablo Mari.

Considering that Torres is continuing to shine, attracting the interest of major clubs, Arsenal should look to reignite their interest in the Spain international, especially as Cazorla continues to rave about the ace.

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