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Manchester United were reportedly eyeing Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez to replace Andre Onana in goal ahead of the new season. But those dreams could come crashing down if the latest reports are to be believed.
The World Cup winner is reportedly eager to join the Red Devils, even without the prospect of Champions League football. However, with Onana’s future still undecided, no deal can be agreed.
His asking price also seems prohibitive, as is Villa’s urgency to sell him due to PSR reasons. Due to all this, Givemesport have claimed the Argentine could end up staying in Birmingham.
The 32-year-old has a contract with Villa until 2029, having signed a new deal in 2024. And not too many teams can afford to pay his asking price with Villa in the driver’s seat as they do not need to sanction a cut-price exit.
Emiliano Martinez could stay in Villa
“Emi Martinez Could Stay at Aston Villa. The goalkeeper only signed a bumper new deal one year ago.
“But there remains a good chance that he could stay in Birmingham. Martinez signed a mammoth £7.5m-a-year five-year deal to stay put with Unai Emery’s men only 12 months ago.”
Emiliano Martinez also does not have an abundance of suitors, with Barcelona already signing Joan Garcia while the Villa No.1 has already turned down a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.
Apart from the 20-time English league champions, Atletico Madrid are also interested and a move to Spain looks more likely at this stage.
The goalie signed up with super agent Jorge Mendes to try and engineer a move. But whether the La Liga giants pay the asking price is doubtful, especially until Jan Oblak’s future is decided.
Onana wants to stay and fight for his place
As for United, Onana wants to stay and fight for his place, with a move to Monaco currently off.
As relayed by The Peoples Person, most of the links with the Argentina international has been agent-driven and vastly exaggerated.
Whether United return for Martinez later in the window remains to be seen. For now, all the focus is on tying up the Bryan Mbeumo deal before resuming their striker search.
Player sales are key before INEOS can think of midfield recruitment as well as any additions to the backline and in between the sticks.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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