The 23-year-old has emerged as one of the top shot-stoppers in Europe after another impressive campaign with Lille last year, as he made 48 appearances across all competitions, keeping 13 clean sheets and conceding 53 goals.
_**READ MORE: [Exit talk refuses to go away as influential Villa ace again linked with move](https://talk-villa.com/aston-villa-transfer-news-emiliano-martinez-manchester-united-talk-persists/)**_
Having established himself as part of the senior France squad now too, Chevalier looks set for a big future, and the next chapter of his career could play out in a Villa shirt.
According to [ESPN](https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/45548896/transfer-window-weekly-napoli-chase-nunez-chelsea-eye-joao-pedro) via Julien Laurens, Villa have made contact with Lille over a potential deal as the Frenchman has emerged as a possible replacement for Emiliano Martinez, amid ongoing speculation over his future as he continues to be heavily linked with a departure.
It’s added that it could cost Villa £40m to prise him away from the Ligue 1 side, and so there is seemingly still a long way to go before we’re in a position to secure his signature.
Ultimately, this all still hinges on Martinez’s future. If he stays, Villa will look to add a back-up option to replace Robin Olsen. If he leaves, Chevalier becomes a priority transfer target and we’ll have the funds from Martinez’s sale to put towards prising the French shot-stopper away from Lille and there will be an open spot for him in the Villa XI.
Time will tell if we’re able to agree terms with Lille and on personal terms should the possibility of a switch become increasingly realistic, but Villa appear to have set their sights on an ideal replacement in case Martinez departs, and given what Chevalier showed last season in particular, he has all the attributes to be a savvy signing for Villa to give us a long-term solution between the posts.
His composure and goalkeeping qualities in one-on-one situations undoubtedly stand out, but he’s more than capable of dealing with threats from long distance too, while he’s shown that he’s capable of being a commanding presence in his box and his distribution is accurate.
In turn, he ticks a lot of important boxes for Unai Emery, and so although the potential of losing Martinez is a major blow given how influential and integral he’s been for us over the past five years, this possible replacement signing would certainly help soften the blow if that exit materialised. That said, it remains to be seen if the pieces fall into place for Villa’s goalkeeper reshuffle as there is still a long way to go.
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