Aston Villa could put the icing on their summer transfer window cake with bold £47.5m signing

What a difference a few short months can make. When Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa last season, the club could hardly have been in worse shape. The Steven Gerrard experiment had started to unravel at an alarming rate, and with both quality and impetus severely lacking, the prospect of relegation looked like a very real and very scary one.

Hard cut to today, with the new Premier League campaign just days away, and things could barely be more different. Not only did Villa undergo an absurdly improbable transformation in fortunes to finish in a European spot last term, but they have doubled down on Emery’s early success by recruiting ambitiously this summer. Deals for the likes of Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, and Pau Torres look to have vastly increased the calibre of their matchday squad, and the general consensus is that they will continue to stake a claim as one of the foremost disruptors to the accepted order of things in the upper reaches of the top flight this season.

But there is still some work to be done. Most pressing is the need for further attacking reinforcements. Villa are yet to properly replace the departed Danny Ings, who left for West Ham back in January, and as things stand, Ollie Watkins remains their only out-and-out striker. Various names have been linked as potential candidates for recruitment, but one particularly intriguing option is Barcelona forward Ferran Torres.

The Spaniard has been on the books at Camp Nou since he left Manchester City early last year, and according to Sport, is understood to be a genuine target for Emery’s side. Valued at around £47.5 million, he is capable of playing through the centre, as well as out on the left flank, and would represent a versatile and exciting acquisition in a crucial area of the pitch.

Torres is an accomplished and well-rounded attacking force, who is just as capable of scoring goals as he is creating them. During his last stint in England, he bagged nine time in 28 Premier League outings, and has an admirable record of 15 strikes in 35 senior international caps for Spain. He carries the ball well and with purpose, he has a keen eye for an incisive pass, and there is a reason why, up until his point, interest in him has been the preserve of Europe’s elite.

There are then, plenty of positives to a potential transfer. Villa would be signing an excellent player, Barcelona would be netting a notable fee for a talent who has floated in and out of contention in Catalonia in recent times, and Torres would be handed an opportunity to feature more frequently at a club who are currently embarking on a really promising trajectory in one of the best leagues in world football.

In fact, the only real sticking point could come from the player himself. According to a recent report from 90min, Torres is far from enthused by the prospect of signing for Villa this summer, and would much rather stay and fight for his place with Barca.

Otherwise, however, talks between the two clubs are said to be progressing relatively well, and it remains to be seen whether Torres’ resolve will hold if and when it becomes apparent that his current employers are eager to offload him.

At certain points in a player’s career, they have to be self-aware enough to understand when a seeming step backwards could actually be a means of furthering their development. Villa are in a really good place right now, with a world class manager, and a simmering sense of buoyancy. Torres could do far, far worse than embracing their interest in the coming weeks.

If he does so (and at this stage, it remains a major ‘if’) then this could be that most pleasing of phenomena - a high profile, big money move that genuinely benefits all involved. There are obvious obstacles to overcome, and not least the need to convince Torres himself, but if Villa can somehow pull this one off, then it would put the icing on a truly wonderful summer of transfer business.