wicked.football

Aston Villa will face a renewed summer battle to retain the services of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with a Serie A force reportedly prepping a huge offer to tempt them into a sale.

The Argentine goalkeeper has established himself as one of Villa’s most consistent stars since a move in September 2020. The £20m fee Villa spent to lure him from Arsenal raised a few eyebrows at the time, given his struggle to establish himself in a decade at Arsenal. However, few would question then manager Dean Smith’s judgement now.

Martinez has, in fact, not only underlined his status as Argentina’s No 1, but also as one of the Premier League’s best keepers.

Indeed, such has been his form that he’s been mentioned as a possible replacement for David De Gea at Manchester United. He’s also been touted as a potential replacement for arguably the world’s best, Jan Oblak, at Atletico Madrid too.

However, a new suitor is seemingly set to burst on the scene in Juventus.

That’s according to Juve Dipendenza, who state the Italian giants are planning to replace Polish stalwart Wojciech Szczesny this summer.

Former Arsenal man Szczesny joined Juve in summer 2017 and has gone on to make 173 appearances in all competitions. However, with the Old Lady suffering a drop a drop in standards over the past 18 months, he looks like one star they are wanting to replace.

As such, Juve Dipendenza says they have drawn up a list of potential new recruits  – with Martinez’s name at the top.

The report states they are now preparing a huge offer to try and tempt Villa into a sale.

Juve reportedly view Martinez as a ‘reliable goalkeeper’ with ‘sure technical and character quality’. They also regard him as a regular saver of penalties.

Perhaps more worrying for Villa is the claim that Martinez is willing to make the move and ‘can’t wait to leave Birmingham’.

They state he is grateful for the platform Villa have granted him, though is now ready to make the next move of his career.

Villa under no pressure to sell Emiliano Martinez

Villa, however, are unlikely to allow Martinez to leave without a fight.

With Villa strong financially, allowing one of their star names to depart will not be in their thinking.

Furthermore, Martinez recently committed to a new and improved deal at Villa Park. Signing up in January this year, Martinez’s new deal keeps him at Villa until summer 2027.

Upon signing, Martinez revealed his big ambitions at Villa.

Martinez told VillaTV: “I won a major tournament with Argentina not long ago. Now, every time I come through the Villa Park tunnel on a matchday, I can see the crowd, the lights. The fans are excited for us to play.

“Just before coming out on the pitch, I see the Champions League trophy and the FA Cup trophy. And that’s where I want to get.

“That’s why I’m committing five-and-a-half years to this club because that’s where I want to get.”

And that would seemingly contradict Juve Dipendenza‘s claims that Martinez is ready to move on.

Still, Juventus can offer Emiliano Martinez European football – something Villa, at present, are not able to.

The Bianconeri are currently fourth in Serie A, which would ensure Champions League football too.

Meanwhile, Villa are one of several sides reportedly considering a summer move for Christian Eriksen.

The post Worry for Villa as Serie A giants prep massive bid to snare star who ‘can’t wait to leave’ appeared first on TEAMtalk.