Arsenal are interested in signing Spanish defender Pau Torres in a bid to fix the club's defensive issues, according to reports.
The Gunners are on the lookout for defensive reinforcements in January after already conceding 17 goals in the Premier League.
And according to The Sun , Unai Emery is considering a move for Villarreal centre-back Torres after an impressive start to the season.
Acquiring the highly-rated defender will be no easy task after he signed a new contract with the club last month which reportedly contains a £43million release clause.
However, the publication claims that the North London club are currently looking at a deal based on staggered payments - similar to the one which brought Nicolas Pepe to the Emirates Stadium for £72m during the summer.
After impressing on loan at second-tier side Malaga last season, the 22-year-old has become a regular for Villarreal this season and has played every minute of their current La Liga campaign.
His recent performances also earned him a place in current Spain squad and he made his international debut against Malta on Friday.
Torres, who is also believed to be attracting interest from Manchester City , replaced Sergio Ramos during the second half and marked his first cap with a goal during the 7-0 win.
Arsenal manager Emery is under growing pressure after a disappointing string of results and will be looking to turn things around when his side hosts Southampton next weekend.
The Gunners are sixth in the Premier League but have experienced the same problems in the back-line that saw the club concede 51 goals last season.
Despite the summer additions of David Luiz and Kieran Tierney, Unai Emery's side currently have a goal-difference of -1 and have failed to keep clean sheets in each of their last seven matches in all competitions.
