Aston Villa could reportedly face interest from Manchester United in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez this summer.
Particularly after his emotional reaction at the end of our final home game of the season at Villa Park last month, speculation has been rife over the 32-year-old’s future as he’s been heavily linked with an exit.
READ MORE: What Monchi said on Martinez, Rashford and Asensio as Villa plot summer strategy
Alongside Villa’s need to sell before June 30 to comply with PSR as well as the club being under pressure to reduce our wage bill to adhere to UEFA’s SCR rules, there is an acceptance that we’ll see outgoings this month, some of which could be significant, before we’re in a position to focus on incomings to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.
Ideally, Villa would keep hold of Martinez and continue to build around our core players to ensure we become increasingly competitive across all fronts, but the rumours of a departure in the coming weeks refuse to go away, with TyC Sports reporting that the Argentine shot-stopper could bid farewell this summer and Man Utd are one of the clubs interested in acquiring him.
It’s added that Villa are demanding a high price for him, and rightly so, which could complicate matters, but the ‘strongest interest’ has come from our Premier League rivals who could be in the market for a new goalkeeper ahead of next season.
Many supporters will likely hope that if we do have to lose Martinez that he moves abroad and doesn’t join another Premier League side, particularly Man Utd given their predicament at the moment off the back of a hugely disappointing campaign and struggle in recent years.
However, as June rumbles on and we move closer to the deadline at the end of the month to get our books in order, Villa ultimately might not have much of a choice if other suitable offers don’t arrive for Martinez or any other player considered to be available on the market this summer, and that is perhaps what other clubs are set to use to their advantage.
Speaking on Spanish radio on Monday night, President of Football Operations, Monchi, insisted that he would prefer to see Martinez remain at Villa. While the sentiment is appreciated and it would be a boost to see the Argentine international remain at Villa given the difficulty of trying to replace him, time will tell if other solutions present themselves in time for the club to be in a position to keep him.
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