Summary
Aston Villa are keen on an ambitious pursuit of Barcelona forward Ferran Torres and his teammate Ousmane Dembele could be part of a 'domino effect' that could lead the Spain international to Villa Park, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Could Ferran Torres end up moving to Aston Villa?
According to reports in Spain via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are 'still pushing' to land Barcelona attacker Torres this summer and the coming days could see movement in their pursuit.
Nevertheless, the report states that much will hinge on the future of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele and whether he stays or leaves the Catalan giants this window.
L'Equipe via The Daily Mail claim that Paris Saint-Germain have triggered the £43 million release clause of the France international and beat the clock on Monday to do so. Otherwise, his valuation would've risen to a lofty fee of £86 million and they now have until Sunday to strike an agreement with the former Borussia Dortmund man over a potential move to the Parc des Princes.
In the case of Torres, he has spoken about his future in a recent interview on Barcelona's pre-season tour of the United States cited by METRO, stating: "The names on Barca transfer list are placed by the journalists. I have a contract here, I’m going to stay. I don’t care what is said about me. I’m going to work like anyone else. I am the first self-critic, it was not a good season last year but I learned a lot. These ups and downs have helped me to be stronger now."
Last campaign, Torres featured 45 times in all competitions for Barcelona, registering seven goals and three assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Jones thinks that a 'domino effect' may occur that will ultimately determine the chances of £164k-a-week ace Torres signing for Aston Villa this summer.
Jones stated: “There is still intent around Torres and I think that is very encouraging because it shows just how serious the club are about backing Unai Emery and also about being successful.
“The problem with this deal though could be that they feel a domino effect of Ousmane Dembele moving to Paris Saint-Germain, if that does go through.
“Ferran would suddenly have some fresh hope of more game time so, as I have said for a while, I would expect the player to only leave Barcelona once the season has begun, meaning he can stake a claim for a place before he gives up.”
Who else could Aston Villa look to sign this window?
According to Czech publication Idnez via Birmingham Live, Aston Villa are keen on Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar, who has also attracted interest from clubs in Germany and Sparta Prague.
Spain international Adama Traore has emerged as a surprise target for Aston Villa following the expiration of his contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers, as per Football Insider.
One outlet in Spain has claimed that Aston Villa are readying a bid worth €15 million for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos despite his decision to sign a new deal at the Spanish giants earlier in the window.
Over the next few weeks, we will find out where Aston Villa stand with regard to prospective new arrivals as the start of the Premier League draws ever nearer.