Chelsea and Man Utd 'get Emi Martinez transfer message' as sale stance emerges
Manchester United have been heavily linked with Emi Martinez this summer but Chelsea have also been sounded out about a transfer swoop for the Aston Villa goalkeeper
Emi Martinez remains keen on an exit from Aston Villa this summer and both Chelsea and Manchester United are said to have been given 'encouragement' over a move from the Argentine's camp.
Martinez, 32, has established himself as one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers since joining Villa from Arsenal. But there are doubts over his long-term future and it's understood that he is keen on a move ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Manchester United have been heavily linked with Martinez amid the ongoing scrutiny over Andre Onana 's position at Old Trafford.
It had been claimed via reports in Argentina, via The Metro, that Chelsea - and Maresca in particular - were keen on the idea of challenging their old rivals for Martinez's signature.
Furthermore, The Mail claim that both the Blues and United have been given encouragement from Martinez's representatives over a potential move for his services this summer, with Villa ready to consider a sale if they receive serious offers for their current No.1.
It's been outlined elsewhere, though, that Chelsea are not currently targeting Martinez as they are focused on strengthening in other positions.
Chelsea have already attempted to sign Mike Maignan, the AC Milan keeper, this summer only for talks over a potential deal to collapse due to the Italian giants' demands.
Reports have since indicated that Chelsea are happy with their current goalkeeping options, consisting of Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders, with Djordje Petrovic seeking a transfer to continue playing regular first-team football.
A move for Martinez - or any other goalkeeper for that matter - would represent a major U-turn for the Blues, whose current No.1 in Sanchez was subjected to criticism during the 2024-25 campaign.
Martinez is understood to have already received proposals from ambitious clubs in the Saudi Pro League, however, he is not sold on the idea of moving to the Middle East this stage of his career and would prefer to keep playing at an elite level in Europe.
His interest in a transfer to Manchester United has been well documented in recent weeks, thought any deal would likely be difficult given the Red Devils missed out on qualifying for the Champions League and will have to cut their cloth accordingly in the transfer market with big-money deals for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo likely to eat up a large portion of their summer transfer budget.
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