Aston Villa are reportedly keeping tabs on Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens late in the transfer window in case we’re forced to address that area of the squad.
The 23-year-old shot-stopper was previously linked with a move to join us amid ongoing speculation over Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club, which was initially sparked late last season after his emotional reaction following our final home game of the campaign.
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Clearly, an exit has not materialised for the Argentine international and in recent weeks, there has undoubtedly been a lack of credible links with a departure as no official offers have been received by Villa. In turn, the expectation has been for a while now that Martinez is set to stay and remain our No.1 choice between the posts this season.
However, according to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Lammens is said to be emerging as an option for Villa in case we’re forced to enter the goalkeeper market in the final days of the transfer window, ahead of the deadline on Monday evening. He later added and pointed back to previous reported interest from Saudi Arabia in Martinez as being the possible cause for a change in the situation.
It’s added that we’d face competition from Manchester United and Galatasaray, and although a move can’t be ruled out at this stage, so much would have to happen in the space of 48 hours for it to ultimately materialise, starting with Villa agreeing a deal with an interested party for Martinez, which at the time of writing, hasn’t even happened.
Lammens came through the ranks at Club Brugge before joining Antwerp in 2023, and he’s since gone on to make 64 appearances for them at senior level, while he’s been capped by the U21s for Belgium, with the expectation that his senior debut is soon to follow.
In the interest of consistency and a settled backline as well as avoiding the disruption that losing Martinez this late in the window would cause, it’s hoped that we now hold onto him for the final couple of days of this summer’s transfer window, and lean on his experience, leadership and quality for another season before a potential change is made.
That said, having seen touted targets such as Joan Garcia and Lucas Chevalier already move on this summer, and with Lammens possibly following suit if we don’t move for him, our preferred options in the current market are seemingly been crossed out one by one, and so Villa do need a long-term plan to deal with the eventual scenario in which Martinez moves on.
Time will tell if that comes between now and Monday night, however unlikely it seems right now.
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