Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has two months left of the summer transfer window to build a squad that will be capable of matching or improving on their seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season.
The Villans have already snapped up Belgian international midfielder Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from relegated Leicester City and they are now closing in on a new central defender.
Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that the club are set to sign Villarreal star Pau Torres for an initial fee of €32.5m (£28m), with his medical set to be completed in the coming weeks after the Spaniard returns from his holiday.
Emery could land a dream partner for the left-footed ace by signing reported transfer target Gleison Bremer, who is valued at around €50m (£43m), from Juventus.
What is Gleison Bremer's style of play?
The Brazil international is a throwback defender who excels at box defending without being exceptional in possession, which is why he could work perfectly with Torres.
Bremer ranks in the bottom 5% of players in his position among the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for progressive passes per 90. The £28m Spaniard, however, ranks among the top 4% and is in the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, while the Old Lady ace is within the bottom 16% in that regard.
These statistics suggest that Torres is one of the best centre-backs in Europe when it comes to progressing play out from the back to advance his team up the pitch, through dribbles or passes, whereas the Juventus stopper seemingly plays it safe more often than not.
However, the 26-year-old Brazilian, who averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.11 in the Serie A last season, makes up for his lack of quality on the ball with his excellent defensive attributes.
Bremer, who former Torino team-mate Mergim Vojvoda described as an "animal", has averaged 5.69 interceptions, blocks, and aerial battles won per 90 over the last 365 days, in comparison to Torres' 3.18 for Villarreal.
The Spain international ranks below the average among his positional peers in all three statistics, whereas the Serie A titan is above the average in all of them – including in the top 12% for blocks.
This could make them the perfect central defensive pairing for Villa as they would have a right-footed defensive-minded stopper who can defend the box expertly next to a cultured left-footed ball player who can start attacks with his ability in possession.
