Aston Villa now want to sign a “world-class” ace from Chelsea who could be a potential replacement for Emi Martinez, according to a recent report.
Latest on Emi Martinez’s future at Aston Villa
Martinez has now not only established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League but also one of the best in world football after his heroics with Aston Villa and his national team. His move to Villa Park back in September 2020 proved to be a real turning point in his career, but despite how good he’s become and the fact he is under contract until 2029, his future at the club is in extreme doubt.
That is because at the beginning of last month it was reported that Unai Emery is ready to move on from the Argentine and sell him this summer. It was reported then that teams from Saudi Arabia were showing the most interest, but now the likes of Manchester United and Atlético Madrid have also expressed significant interest.
Before the season ended, Emery refused to say whether Martinez would still be an Aston Villa player next season.
“We will see. Of course, it is the last match here [this season], and I don’t know. We will see about the team and the players, but of course, they are responding on the field.”
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Martinez has been away with Argentina, helping his country qualify for the World Cup in 2026, and speculation over his future hasn’t gone away, with his wife, Mandinha, speaking about her husband’s tears at Villa’s final home league game.
“He wasn’t in tears. No. Anybody who knows Emi knows he is an emotional character, and that’s who he is. It just shows you how much he loves the Villa fans. I love the Villa fans. We love Villa.”
Aston Villa want to sign Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea
But as Villa still weigh up what to do about Martinez’s future at the club, according to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa have registered their interest in signing Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea, after he spent last season on loan in France with Strasbourg.
The report states that Chelsea have now put their goalkeeper up for sale, given the Serbian asked to be left out of the club’s Club World Cup squad, as he wants assurances on regular game time. Chelsea’s decision to sell him has now alerted teams like Aston Villa, who could be in the market for a new number one.
The Villans are not alone in their pursuit though, as Brentford, Wolves, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Fiorentina have also registered their interest. The report states that the Blues would be looking to get £25 million for Petrovic, which is double the £12.5 million they paid back in August 2023 when they signed him from New England Revolution.
Djordje Petrovic’s 24/25 Ligue 1 stats | |
|---|---|
Apps | 31 |
Clean sheets | 10 |
Goals conceded | 38 |
Goals conceded per game | 1.2 |
Saves made per game | 3.6 (74%) |
Penalties saved | 1/8 |
Passing accuracy per game | 36.0 (79%) |
Errors leading to shot | 1 |
Errors leading to goal | 0 |
Petrovic finished his campaign on loan with 10 clean sheets in 31 Ligue 1 games, as manager Liam Rosenior labelled his goalkeeper “world-class”.
