It is understood that the Blues and Villa would both like to sign the 26-year-old defender, who will soon be entering the final year of his contract at Villarreal.
The report claims that there’s a £55million release clause in the centre-back’s current deal.
In addition, The Mirror adds that incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is a long-term admirer of Torres and does want some new signings once the current squad is cut at Stamford Bridge.
We think Torres is a very talented player that can operate at the highest level.
The Spain international is a very important individual for La Liga club Villarreal with his composure and quality at the back.
He’s a left-footed centre-half that Villa boss Unai Emery previously described as “amazing”.
If Chelsea are serious about signing Torres, they should be cautious that Villa’s current manager Emery already has a relationship with the player after coaching him at Villarreal.
Our main issue with this speculation is that Chelsea already own two left-footed centre-halves with big potential.
First of all, Benoit Badiashile has made a really positive impact since his mid-season arrival at Stamford Bridge.
He’s a 22-year-old that has great composure and quality as a left-footed centre-back. Also, Blues interim boss Frank Lampard has called Badiashile a “big talent”.
Meanwhile, Chelsea supporters are intrigued to see if 20-year-old centre-half Levi Colwill is good enough to come into the squad next season when he returns from his loan at Brighton.
We’re struggling to see the need to spend £50million-plus on another defender in this position
