Emi Martinez is once again attracting interest from Juventus in a fresh Aston Villa transfer twist just as Unai Emery’s side step up their pursuit of Zion Suzuki.
Juventus appeared to have walked away from the Argentina international earlier this month after deciding the overall cost of a deal was too high.
That position has now changed.
talkSPORT reports that Juventus have revived their interest in Martinez, potentially reopening one of Villa’s biggest transfer stories with just over two weeks remaining in the summer window.
The timing is particularly significant after Villa made their own move in the goalkeeper market.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Villa have made a formal approach to Parma for Suzuki and are prepared to match Paris Saint-Germain’s proposed €35million package.
Talks are now underway.
Emi Martinez Juventus transfer takes another twist
Juventus have pursued Martinez for much of the summer but repeatedly struggled to reach an agreement with Villa.
ReadAstonVilla previously reported that Luciano Spalletti continued to consider Martinez one of Juventus’ goalkeeper options, although the two clubs remained some distance apart financially.
The situation appeared to reach a conclusion on 2 August.
Romano reported that Juventus had formally informed Villa they would no longer proceed because they considered the costs of the deal too high.
That makes the latest development a significant reversal.
Martinez has a contract at Villa Park until 2029, leaving Villa in a strong negotiating position should Juventus return with an offer.
The club have also previously made their stance clear. Director of football operations Damian Vidagany insisted in July that Villa had no intention of selling their No.1.
Suzuki’s situation now makes that stance worth watching again.
Villa’s interest in the Japan international had previously been framed as succession planning should Martinez leave. Moving from scouting Suzuki to a formal approach and negotiations with Parma represents a substantial step forward.
It does not guarantee Martinez will be sold.
However, Juventus returning to the conversation at exactly the same time as Villa accelerate their pursuit of a €35m goalkeeper is unlikely to reduce speculation around his future.
Villa’s goalkeeper picture suddenly looks far less settled than it did a fortnight ago.
