Aston Villa are reportedly in negotiations with Galatasaray over the possible transfer of Emiliano Martinez.
The 32-year-old has firmly established himself as a fundamental presence for us having played such a key role in our progression since he arrived in 2020.
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Albeit there was a slight drop off in his form last season, he has been decisive on countless occasions, while his leadership, winning mentality and experience all make him a pivotal player for Unai Emery in developing a culture at the club as we continue to compete at higher levels.
In turn, Martinez is the type of player that we don’t want to lose this summer, but with ongoing PSR and SCR concerns, securing a significant transfer fee for him and wiping his salary off of our wage bill could be crucial in our bid to balance our books and avoid breaching any financial regulations.
In a string of posts on Wednesday night from Sami Yen Haber on X, it was firstly reported that Galatasaray had made an inquiry for Martinez, before an official offer was said to have submitted.
It’s since been added that negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs to potentially find an agreement, while the Argentine shot-stopper is said to be keen on the move.
There has been so much speculation over Martinez’s future already this summer, it’s difficult to establish which clubs could be genuine possible landing spots for him, assuming an exit even materialises at all.
Further, question marks will be raised over Galatasaray’s ability to meet our valuation, as well as whether or not a move to Turkey really appeals to Martinez at this stage of his career.
This particular story could prove to be a bit of stretch, but the rumours simply will not go away over his future, and despite his wife insisting this week that Martinez loves the Villa fans, it remains to be seen if financial pressure ultimately decides that his time with us is coming to an end with the club needing to make a player sale before June 30 to remain compliant with PSR.
Villa don’t have the luxury of being able to take too long with this decision with that deadline approaching, and so we’ll perhaps know sooner rather than later if we face the threat of losing our influential goalkeeper.
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