Chelsea Considering Move for Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez
Chelsea are weighing up a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after opening talks with the Argentina international’s camp.
The 33-year-old, a World Cup winner and one of the Premier League’s most combative personalities, is understood to be available for transfer following Villa’s £30m capture of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma earlier this month. Suzuki’s arrival has shifted the dynamics at Villa Park and put Martinez’s future back in play.
If Chelsea step in, it would be the latest chapter in a remarkably busy trading relationship between the two clubs. This summer alone, Chelsea smashed their transfer record to land forward Morgan Rogers from Villa for £117m, while Alejandro Garnacho headed the other way on an initial loan.
There could be more. Striker Nicolas Jackson, valued at around £65m, is being discussed as a possible signing for Villa, which would reunite him with former Villarreal boss Unai Emery. The lines between the clubs have rarely been clearer.
That bond has already produced one deal widely labelled a “PSR swap”, with defender Ian Maatsen joining Villa and Omari Kellyman — now at Strasbourg — moving to Stamford Bridge. The pattern is obvious: when Chelsea and Villa talk, business tends to follow.
Martinez has already come close to a move this window. Juventus pushed hard to sign him earlier in the summer, only for the deal to collapse amid concerns over a finger injury. The Italian side quickly pivoted and brought in Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario on loan instead, leaving Martinez still in Birmingham and still on the market.
Chelsea’s interest comes as scrutiny grows around current number one Robert Sanchez. In the opening Premier League game at Fulham, Sanchez was beaten at his near post by Josh King’s angled strike, a moment that sparked fresh debate about his reliability. Later in the same match, he spilled another shot into a dangerous area, allowing Gonzalo Garcia to score. Chelsea escaped with a 3-2 win at Craven Cottage, but the questions did not go away.
Manager Xavi Alonso publicly backed Sanchez after the game and played down any suggestion of crisis when asked again ahead of Thursday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town at Stamford Bridge.
“No, (we have had) normal conversations,” Alonso said. “We have talked more about the team thing, about what we did well and what we have to do better.
“It was more about understanding the context. Every game is going to be important because we are in this process that we still need to develop things, we need to make adjustments that are more team-related.”
Behind that calm tone, competition is tightening. Number two goalkeeper Mike Penders, back from a strong loan spell at Strasbourg, is pushing for minutes and could start against Luton.
Asked about Penders’ chances, Alonso kept his cards close.
“He’s in the squad, so he has an opportunity,” he said. “We will decide and give the team to the players tomorrow, so I prefer to expect that they know first.”
For now, Chelsea are talking to Martinez’s representatives, Villa have already signed his potential successor, and the London club’s goalkeeping hierarchy feels anything but settled. If Stamford Bridge wants a new leader between the posts, this is the moment to move.
