Chelsea are reportedly not pursuing a transfer for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez despite reports suggesting otherwise this week.
Speculation has been rife over the 32-year-old’s future so far this summer, with reports of interest and potential destinations aplenty amid ongoing question marks over his future.
READ MORE: Discussions ongoing as Villa could negotiate permanent exit for top talent
After his emotional reaction following our final home game of last season sparked exit talk, it has shown little sign of abating since with suggestions that either the Argentine shot-stopper himself is ready to move on or Villa could look to sell him to provide relief when it comes to our PSR and SCR concerns.
Ideally, although he had a dip in form last season, Martinez would stay to continue to play a pivotal role in our progression and push to compete for major honours, just as he’s done for the past five years, as his goalkeeping qualities, experience, winning mentality and leadership have all proven to be key attributes.
While there is still persistent talk of interest from elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Chelsea are not in talks over signing Martinez, and there has been no approach or negotiations as they are not prioritising a move for a goalkeeper this summer.
It comes after reports from Argentina on Friday suggested that our Premier League rivals were keen on Martinez, but after their failed pursuit of Mike Maignan earlier this month, it sounds as though they may well be looking elsewhere to improve their squad, for now at least.
As per the report above, Martinez is said to have attracted interest from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid as well, but with both those sides having to move on their current No.1 options to free up space for a swoop, it remains a complicated situation as we await clarity on whether or not we’ll be looking for a new first-choice goalkeeper this summer.
With Robin Olsen moving on as a free agent, there could be a significant reshuffle in that department for us, but unless this talk of interest turns into an official proposal being made to Villa over signing Martinez, he could still be at the club ahead of next season, and that in turn could allow us to focus on other priority areas to keep improving the squad rather than having to replace key individuals.
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