According to The Athletic, Martinez has long wanted to leave Aston Villa and sees Man Utd as a potential destination. The 32-year-old goalkeeper, who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, contacted the Red Devils through his agent in 1/2025. In July, Man Utd inquired about loaning Martinez, but Villa refused, as they only wanted to sell him outright to ease financial burdens.
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Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the Aston Villa vs. PSG match at Parc des Princes, Paris, France, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on the evening of 9/4/2025. Photo: Reuters |
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the Aston Villa vs. PSG match at Parc des Princes, Paris, France, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on the evening of 9/4/2025. Photo: Reuters
In the final two days of the transfer window, Man Utd is focused on signing a new goalkeeper, and Martinez is the priority. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils have reached a personal agreement with the best goalkeeper of the 2022 World Cup. According to Goal, Martinez is currently earning £150,000 (203,000 USD) per week at Villa Park. This is also the salary Andre Onana is receiving at Old Trafford.
The pressure to find a new goalkeeper at Old Trafford has increased following inconsistent performances from Onana and Altay Bayindir. The Cameroonian goalkeeper made two mistakes in the loss to Grimsby in the League Cup, while Bayindir continued to disappoint against Burnley. Man Utd still needs to meet Villa's asking price for Martinez, around 54 million USD.
Man Utd is also pursuing 23-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lammens of Royal Antwerp. He is considered to have great potential but has only had one full season as a starter. Antwerp wants 29 million USD but is under financial pressure and may have to make concessions. However, Man Utd will have to compete with Aston Villa, as they want to bring Lammens in to replace Martinez.
The possibility of Jadon Sancho moving to Villa has also been raised during negotiations. However, this is just an idea, with no concrete progress yet. Man Utd will only choose one of the two targets, Martinez or Lammens, as Onana is likely to stay. Previously, Aston Villa reached an agreement to sign defender Victor Lindelof after his contract with Man Utd expired.
At Villa Park, Martinez's form has been questioned. He made mistakes in several important matches last season, notably the Champions League quarter-final against PSG. This summer, Villa signed goalkeeper Marco Bizot as a backup and is also considering signing Diogo Costa from Porto if Martinez leaves.
The summer transfer window in England will close at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, 2/9 Hanoi time. Teams must register players before this deadline.
Hoang An (according to The Athletic, Romano)
