Man Utd and Chelsea set to battle for La Liga centre-back

Manchester United and Chelsea are set to compete for the signature of Villarreal defender Pau Torres this summer.

The Spaniard was heavily linked with the Red Devils last summer, but they ended up signing Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

The move has not worked out as planned, and they are now expected to pursue another central defender for incoming boss Erik ten Hag.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Torres has re-emerged on the radar of United, but they could face competition from the Blues this time.

Torres currently has a release clause worth €55m on his contract, and the Premier League duo look set to battle it out for his services.

Chelsea appear in urgent need of reinforcements at the back with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen set to leave for free.

However, the Blues' takeover from Todd Boehly's consortium has yet to be officially completed, and this could boost United's pursuit.

The Blues are banned from signing or transferring players at the moment due to the sanctions on previous owner Roman Abramovich.