Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez by his representatives, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Mark Ogden on Wednesday.
Villa are looking to offload the World Cup winner following the acquisition of Japan international Zion Suzuki, who they consider to be their long-term No. 1.
A deal to send Argentina international Martínez to Juventus fell through earlier in August and he was not in the squad for the 4-0 defeat to Brighton on the Premier League’s opening weekend.
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Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation has been under renewed scrutiny following Robert Sánchez’s poor performance in Monday’s 3-2 win against Fulham when he was badly at fault in allowing a tame shot from Josh King to squeeze through him.
The club are reported to be considering whether to act to replace Sánchez with Martínez before the transfer window closes, a source confirmed.
It had been hoped that 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, who spent last season on loan at Strasbourg and could make his first-team debut against Luton in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, would eventually prove able to step up and challenge Sánchez for the No. 1 shirt.
However, the possibility of signing an established Premier League keeper and an experienced international presents obvious advantages for a club looking to challenge for the title this season. Martínez was a key part of the Argentina team that won the World Cup in 2022 and finished runners-up to Spain at the tournament this summer.
Sánchez’s performances have been an issue for successive Chelsea managers.
Mauricio Pochettino dropped him as his No. 1 in 2024, preferring the relatively untested Serbia international Djordje Petrovic, while Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior also left him out for periods in response to poor form.
Villa have been open to transferring Martínez, who joined from Arsenal for £17 million ($23m) in 2020, as they look to lower the average age of their squad.
The need for the club to raise money from transfers this summer — with Morgan Rogers leaving for Chelsea for £117 million ($159m), and Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne also exiting — has been well documented as they look to comply with the financial rules of both UEFA and the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has said Wednesday that he expects midfielder Enzo Fernández to be involved against Luton despite continuing speculation over his future.
The Argentina international, whom Chelsea value at £120 million ($163m), has been persistently linked with a move to Manchester City.
Speaking at a news conference, Alonso said: “Yes we expect that he’s involved. He’s training really well and he is a good professional.”
Asked if he would like the 25-year-old to stay, Alonso added: “We want to have the best team possible. We know Enzo and his qualities. He has shown it and we have to wait.
“We’ll think about tomorrow and let’s see how things develop.”
Alonso confirmed Moisés Caicedo and Marco Palestra are still out injured but Cole Palmer has been passed fit.
PA contributed to this report.
