Manchester United are among the clubs hoping to sign Aston Villa number one Emi Martinez, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Argentinian international, who was named FIFA’s “Best Goalkeeper” back in December, is expected to leave Villa Park this summer.
Unai Emery’s side need to raise funds to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, with Martinez among the names who could be sacrificed.
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Speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel, Jacobs said that Martinez could be on the market for a reasonable fee:
“Aston Villa would realistically want £25m to £30m for Emi Martinez, despite their initial valuation being closer to £40m.”
Man United are hoping to sign a new keeper
Andre Onana’s erratic form has prompted speculation that the Red Devils are considering buying a replacement.
The club have been linked with several shot-stoppers, including Torino’s Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Roma’s Mile Svilar, Porto’s Diogo Costa, Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen and Parma’s Zion Suzuki in recent weeks.
An attempt to snap up Martinez would be ambitious, but the former Arsenal player’s availability makes him a tempting target.
Are other teams pursuing Martinez?
Barcelona had been credited with an interest in the 32-year-old but they are expected to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol instead.
A move to the Saudi Pro League has been suggested as another potential option but Martinez is said to be keen on staying in Europe.
That does suggest United would have a good chance of securing his services, but a lot may depend on how much money they can raise through player sales as they are devoting the funds they currently have to strengthening the forward line. They have recently tabled a £55m bid for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo after spending £62.5m on Matheus Cunha.
In other news, Manchester United have reportedly revived their interest in a 37 goal striker