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By Barnaby Lane
Posted on 29 June 2025, 11:57
Chelsea offered the chance to sign World Cup winner for £45 million - Aston Villa
Argentina's Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero and Nahuel Molina. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
Fresh off a resurgent 2024/25 campaign that saw them clinch fourth place in the Premier League and lift the Europa League, Chelsea are charging into the summer transfer window with intent—and ambition. With a return to Champions League football now confirmed, the Blues are moving aggressively to bolster their ranks.
The West London club has already made waves with a trio of early signings: teenage prodigy Dário Essugo from Sporting Lisbon, towering defender Mamadou Sarr from their affiliated side RC Strasbourg, and headline-grabber Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.
Delap’s £30 million switch comes in the wake of Ipswich’s relegation, and the young striker is wasting no time proving his worth—opening his Chelsea account with a clinical finish against ES Tunis at the Club World Cup. It’s a promising start for a player many are tipping to become a future star at Stamford Bridge.
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The Blues are also on the brink of landing another electric young talent: Jamie Gittens. The dynamic 20-year-old winger has reportedly passed his medical ahead of a £55 million move from Borussia Dortmund. A right-footed left winger with flair to spare.
But Chelsea’s shopping spree might not be stopping there.
Chelsea Offered Chance to Sign Martínez
Emiliano Martinez. (Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images)
Emiliano Martinez. (Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images)
One glaring weak spot for Chelsea during the 2024/25 season was between the posts. Robert Sánchez struggled with consistency, making costly errors on a near-weekly basis, while Filip Jörgensen failed to seize his opportunities when called upon.
Now, the Blues may have a golden chance to solve their goalkeeping dilemma once and for all.
According to a new report from The Mirror, Chelsea have been offered the opportunity to sign Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez for £45 million.
The Argentine shot-stopper is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in world football. His heroics at the 2022 World Cup—particularly in the final against France, where he denied Kylian Mbappé a last-gasp winner and saved a crucial penalty in the shootout—cemented his reputation as a big-game player and a national hero.
Villa, the report claims, may be forced to offload Martínez to help balance their books and avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). With Chelsea actively in the market for a new No. 1, the timing could be perfect.
However, there’s a twist in the tale: Manchester United are also said to be in the race, and The Mirror suggests Martínez would actually favour a move to Old Trafford over Stamford Bridge.
Why he might prefer United is anyone’s guess—but Chelsea fans will be hoping the allure of London, Champions League football, and an ambitious project is enough to sway him towards West London.
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