Arsenal preparing to hijack £35m transfer swoop for Pau Torres from under noses of Man Utd in January to bolster defence

ARSENAL are preparing to hijack Manchester United's £35million transfer swoop for Pau Torres in January, according to reports.

Both clubs are still thought to want to bring in another centre-back to bolster their defences when the window reopens.

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And according to Spanish news outlet , Mikel Arteta and Edu have a plan to land Torres.

The Villarreal defender, 23, has attracted plenty of attention over the past couple of years - including from both Arsenal and United.

Now the two Premier League clubs are reportedly ready to battle it out for his signature.

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Torres joined Villarreal way back in 2002 and progressed right through the academy, C team, B team and made his first-team debut in 2016 in a Copa del Rey clash.

He spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Malaga before returning last year to seal his spot in the heart of Villarreal's defence.

His strong performances saw him win his first Spain cap in November 2019, coming on as a substitute for Sergio Ramos and scoring a minute later in the 7-0 thumping of Malta.

Arsenal brought in Gabriel Magalhaes in the summer and made Pablo Mari's move permanent while David Luiz was handed a contract extension.

Gabriel, Luiz and Rob Holding have started the season but the Gunners also have Calum Chambers, William Saliba, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis.

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Konstantinos Mavropanos is on loan with Stuttgart for the season.

But with Mustafi, Sokratis and Luiz expected to be moved on in the coming year, the addition of Torres would further strengthen Arsenal's defence - if they can convince ex-boss Unai Emery to do business.

For United, meanwhile, a centre-back is a major priority.

Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Harry Maguire have all struggled for early-season form while Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo were frozen out.

The Red Devils sold Chris Smalling to Roma in the summer but did not bring in a centre-half.

The report adds Dayot Upamecano was the first-choice option for both Arsenal and United but Liverpool are in pole position to land the RB Leipzig and France star.