Tottenham could look at Villarreal defender Pau Torres in January, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.
The north London club are thought to be interested in Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, but O'Rourke feels that Torres is a much more realistic option for them.
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What is the latest news involving Torres?
A report from 90min claims that Villarreal are ready to sell Torres and for less than his £55m release clause.
In terms of potential destinations, the same outlet has listed both Tottenham and Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Torres, however, is not the only central defender that has been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
According to Inter Live, Spurs still retain an interest in Bastoni after targeting him in the summer, while another report from Football Insider alleges that they are monitoring Gvardiol.
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What has O'Rourke said about Torres and Tottenham?
O'Rourke would not be shocked to see Tottenham fully turn their attention to Torres due to how difficult deals for Bastoni and Gvardiol look.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "Landing your top targets in January isn't easy. I think getting Bastoni out of Inter Milan is going to be difficult, especially with Inter in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
"Pau Torres of Villarreal has been linked before. He maybe could be one Tottenham look at again, while signing Gvardiol from RB Leipzig has been talked about in the past. But again, they're also in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and I couldn't imagine they would be willing to sell them. And for Tottenham, some of those targets have been chased by other clubs as well."
Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know
Can Tottenham win the race for Torres?
With Torres enjoying success with Unai Emery at Villarreal, winning the Europa League under his former manager, a move to Villa Park to reunite with him may be tempting.
If it is a straight shoot-out between Tottenham and Villa, though, you would still expect the London club to win.
A world-class coach like Antonio Conte obviously has his own pulling power, while Spurs are currently a Champions League side.
With that being said, Torres joining Tottenham is far from a foregone conclusion. Having chased him during the summer, it is quite clear that Bastoni is at the top of Conte's list, so he may wait until he becomes available instead of signing someone else.
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