Chelsea are targeting Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres to strengthen their defence this summer according to reports in the English media.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a host of clubs in recent months, including Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Blues boss Frank Lampard could look to beat the competition for Torres as he seeks to reinforce a backline which has been the team’s major weakness this season.

The likes of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma have all had bad performances this campaign, which has seen them concede 44 goals in 32 league games.

Torres could be available for a reasonable price. The Spaniard does have a €50m (£45m) release clause but it is believed he would be available for below that figure.

It must be said that Villarreal’s defence is not one of the best in La Liga, having let in 40 in 33 matches, but Torres has been widely praised for his consistent performances since breaking into the first team at the start of the season.