Aston Villa have signed centre-back Pau Torres from Villarreal for around £33 million.
Torres had a release clause of €70m (£60.4m), but the Villains negotiated a lower fee.
He is the club’s second summer signing after they picked up Youri Tielemans on a free transfer.
Torres becomes Villa’s second most expensive transfer of all time after the £38m signing of Emiliano Buendia in 2021.
The 26-year-old defender played under Villa boss Unai Emery in Spain between 2020 and 2023.
The former Arsenal manager has been keen on bringing him to the Premier League since he arrived.
The defender initially progressed through Villarreal’s youth ranks. He has been a part of the club since 2003.
Torres made his first-team debut in 2016 and has made 172 appearances for the club, scoring 12 times.
He played an instrumental role as the Yellow Submarines finished fifth in La Liga last season.
Torres scored once and created two big chances in 34 La Liga appearances last term. He helped them keep ten clean sheets while winning 61% of his duels.
He is renowned for his ball-playing ability. He ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive passing and 99th for carrying among defenders in Europe’s top five leagues.
Torres is in the 97th percentile for switches and has one of the best accuracy numbers on his long passing.
He helped Villarreal win the Europa League in 2021 under Emery. They beat Manchester United in the final to claim the title.
Emery and his new signing will be eager to repeat the trick when they compete in the Europa Conference League with Villa next season.
The Spanish international has made 23 appearances for his country since debuting in 2019.
He has represented them at the 2020 European Championship and 2022 World Cup.
