Premier League trio Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all considered a move to sign Villarreal defender Pau Torres this summer, but they were unwilling to meet his asking price, according to a report.
The 25-year-old has regularly been linked with a big-money switch to England, with a host of clubs believed to be monitoring his progress in La Liga.
Aside from a loan spell to Malaga in 2018-19, Torres has spent his entire career with Villarreal, scoring 11 goals in 142 appearances across all competitions.
The Spain international is regarded as an integral first-team member by head coach Unai Emery, and the centre-back played an important part in Villarreal's surprise run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs were all credited with an interest in Torres over the summer, while the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Barcelona allegedly contemplated a move to sign the defender.
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However, Torres remains with the Yellow Submarine and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that the three London clubs were not prepared to spent between €40m (£35.9m) and €45m (£40.4m) to sign the Spaniard.
"Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham also explored this possibility but didn't want to spend €40-45m," Romano told Caught Offside.
"I think it's a very good opportunity on the market; he has experience, quality, left footed... a very good CB."
Earlier in the summer window, Arsenal allegedly identified Torres as a potential replacement for Gabriel Magalhaes, who had been linked with an exit from the Emirates Stadium.
However, the Brazilian remains a key figure in Mikel Arteta's plans, lining up alongside William Saliba who has enjoyed an impressive start to life in North London following loan spells away from the club.
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Over at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were in the summer transfer market for new central defenders following the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
Torres was believed to be on Chelsea's radar, but Wesley Fofana was deemed their primary target and they eventually recruited the Frenchman for around £70m from Leicester City, while Marc Cucurella was also signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee in excess of £60m.
As for Tottenham, Antonio Conte was looking to bolster his defensive options with a left-sided centre-back to provide competition for Ben Davies.
Despite signing Barcelona's Clement Lenglet on loan for the 2022-23 season, Spurs allegedly continued to explore to possibility of adding Torres to their ranks, but a transfer failed to materialise.
With less than two years remaining on his Villarreal contract, Torres is set to be in the headlines once again when the transfer window re-opens in January, with his valuation expected to fall.
Oliver Thomas
