Manchester United and Atletico Madrid are both showing interest in Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, talkSPORT understands.
Martinez hinted he is set to leave Villa Park after breaking down in tears at the end of Villa’s final home game against Tottenham last Friday.
The 32-year-old has lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, but sources close to Martinez say he would prefer to stay in Europe.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone is a big admirer of his fellow Argentinian while the World Cup winner has also been on United’s radar for some time.
Any move to Old Trafford would be reliant on the Red Devils managing to offload Andre Onana for a fee, with the Red Devils prioritising other positions.
Villa have put a £40million price tag on Martinez, who signed a new deal last August to keep him at the club until 2029.
The Champions League-chasing club is anticipated to make a significant sale before June 30 to remain in line with the Premier League’s spending rules.
The Argentina international moved to Villa Park from Arsenal in September 2020 for £17m and became an instant fan favourite when he saved a penalty on his debut against Sheffield United.
It is one of four penalty saves Martinez has made in the Premier League, with his most recent coming during a 3-1 win for Villa away to Fulham earlier this season when he kept out Andreas Pereira’s spot kick attempt.
Martinez also came up clutch during a penalty shootout last term as he made two saves to help Villa beat Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
Aside from penalty shootouts, Martinez has been one of Villa’s best between the sticks and boasts 69 clean sheets from 211 appearances across all competitions.
His heroic exploits for club and country earned him the Yashin Trophy, the award given to the best goalkeeper in the world as part of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, in 2023 and 2024.
GettyVilla may be forced to sell Martinez to comply with the Premier League’s PSR[/caption]
Martinez is the only goalkeeper to have won the Yashin Trophy twice.
One of the biggest personalities at the club, the loss of Martinez would be a huge blow for Villa fans.
When asked about Martinez’s future following the 2-0 win over Tottenham last Friday, Villa boss Unai Emery insisted he will wait until the end of the season before any major decisions are made, with Leon Bailey another who appeared emotional after the match.
“Now we are focused on the match we are playing, of course,” Emery said.
“It is the last match here, and I don’t know.
“We will see about the team, the players, but of course, they are responding on the field at the moment. They are responding and are focused on how we are preparing and playing each match.
“Of course, Leon Bailey is playing less because I know everybody is responding very well. They are performing well. And we are going to play Manchester United on May 25 for the last three points available this season.
“For us it will be very important again, for everybody to be focused.
“And of course, then we will see about everything, how we are going to try to get better for the next season, when we come back.”
Martinez and his Villa teammates travel to Old Trafford for the final game of the season as they look to secure a second-straight season in the Champions League.
Villa sit fifth on 66 points, although they could drop to sixth if Manchester City avoid defeat to Bournemouth on Tuesday.
It means Emery’s side may have to rely on favours elsewhere if they are to finish in the top five as Chelsea face Nottingham Forest and Newcastle take on Everton.
