Manchester United Competing With Barcelona, Real Madrid For Sergio Ramos' 'Successor'

Manchester United will have to intensify its pursuit of Villarreal’s Pau Torres as Barcelona and Real Madrid are now ready to make a swoop for the top-level defender.

After three seasons in La Liga, Torres has emerged as a top prospect for an array of English Premier League clubs.

Manchester United and Liverpool have been reportedly monitoring Torres’ situation, but Spanish top-flight giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are now also tailing the highly-rated defender, Spanish outlet Don Balon reported.

According to the report, Man United and Liverpool have been both “ready” to launch their bids for the 24-year-old. However, Barca has identified Torres as a solution to the club’s problems in the center-back position due to the inconsistency of Clément Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti and the durability of the team’s vice-captain Gerard Pique.

Torres didn’t only make his mark in Villarreal but also in the international team, playing alongside Sergio Ramos in the Spanish national team.

It didn’t take long for Real Madrid to put Torres on its radar with the report stating that the reigning La Liga champions view the Villarreal star as Ramos’ apparent “successor.”

The English clubs evidently have the upper hand in terms of purchasing power, but between Barcelona and Real Madrid, it was the Catalan club that reportedly has the “advantage.”

However, the report adds that Los Blancos would first need to offload a couple of key players to make room for Torres, who could be available for around €50 million ($61 million).

At the moment, the future of Eder Militao, Marcelo Isco and Mariano Diaz as part of Zinedine Zidane’s lineup is all deemed uncertain.

Meanwhile, Villarreal head coach Unai Emery is also open to the possibility that his star defender will soon be leaving his side for other “top European teams.”

According to Emery, Torres is unique and has the potential to become a star even outside Spain.

"Pau Torres is an amazing player -I think he’s top [player]," Emery told Football.london. "I've been a coach in Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal, and I’ve never seen a center-back like Pau Torres.”

"I think he’s going to play at the highest level. He’s playing now in the national team, but he can play in the top teams in Europe very soon," he added.

This season, Torres has been the star of Villarreal, having started in all 20 matches. In the process, the elite defender has managed to score two goals for the La Liga side.