Amid ongoing speculation over Emiliano Martinez’s future at Aston Villa, talks are not currently active over a move to Manchester United.
The 32-year-old has been a fundamental presence for us since joining from Arsenal in 2020, as he has gone on to make 212 appearances for the club and has played a pivotal role in our progression during that period.
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After his emotional reaction following the full-time whistle in our last home game of last season, speculation was ignited over his future as it appeared to be a potential farewell to the Villa Park faithful, but as things stand, the Argentine shot-stopper is not close to a departure this summer.
According to The Telegraph, despite links with a move to Man Utd, a deal is not currently being worked on between the two clubs, as it’s suggested that there is a significant gap between their respective valuations of Martinez.
It’s suggested that an injury to Andre Onana could force the Red Devils into the transfer market to sign a goalkeeper ahead of the new season, but time will tell if that will ultimately end up being Martinez or an alternative transfer target.
On one hand, it feels imperative that we keep hold of Martinez and continue to build around our core players in the squad to remain as competitive as possible.
Despite his dip in form at times last season, he remains a top-class goalkeeper who is an experienced leader in the group with the winning mentality to help drive us forward given his success at international level, and we need that in the group moving forward.
That said, if we can secure a significant transfer fee for him and remove his high salary off the wage bill while funding a move for a long-term replacement between the posts, it could be a sensible strategy with the bigger picture in mind.
Nevertheless, if no offers are forthcoming that are deemed acceptable by Villa and Martinez, then it makes all the talk irrelevant as Villa will continue with him next season, with the expectation that Marco Bizot will arrive in the coming weeks to fill the void left behind by Robin Olsen’s departure this summer after his contract expired.
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