Emi Martinez’s agent has questioned the goalkeeper’s Aston Villa future in the wake of his Copa America performance.
Throughout the 2023/24 campaign, one of Unai Emery’s top performers was Martinez. The goalkeeper was crucial to leading the club back to the Champions League with plenty of memorable displays.
Now, Martinez has continued this form into the summer. For Argentina, the goalkeeper is a hero. His performances at the 2022 World Cup directly led to his country lifting the trophy.
At the 2024 Copa America, Martinez was the hero again against Ecuador. Argentina progressed through to the semi-finals, overcoming their South American rivals on penalties.
In the aftermath of the result, Martinez’s agent Gustavo Goni has cast potential doubt on his long-term future at Villa.
Emi Martinez’s future at Aston Villa ‘unclear’
As a result of his consistent fantastic performances, Martinez is now considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
In 2023, he won the Yashin Award, presented to the best goalkeeper in the world.
Now, his agent has suggested that other clubs have pursued his signature including Man United.
“He’s under contract at Aston Villa until 2027 and the club does not want to sell him,” Goni told ESPN, via TN Sports. “He is one of the main players in the team that secured Champions League qualification 42 years later.
“We don’t know where he will play, we are in conversations. Aston Villa want to keep him at all costs. He is priceless.
“Maradona was a great player for Napoli and didn’t stop being the best in the world for being at Napoli. I always tell him he has the opportunity to repeat the same feat at Aston Villa. Today he is part of one of the best projects.
“Last year we were close to Manchester United, but the manager then opted to sign Andre Onana because he already knew him. But all those at Manchester maintained that the ideal goalkeeper to win with was Emiliano Martinez.”
Read more: Everything you need to know about Aston Villa’s hero Emi Martinez.
Any Emi Martinez transfer away from Aston Villa would cost a fortune
Despite what Goni has said about Martinez’s future, one thing is clear, he would cost any club a fortune if they wanted to possess his talents.
As it says above, Villa views the goalkeeper as ‘priceless’ and he still has three years left on his current deal.
Given how expensive many of the transfers have been of late, it is not impossible to imagine that Emery’s side could demand a record fee for a goalkeeper.
Kepa currently holds this record after his transfer to Chelsea back in 2018 for £71.6 million.
With Martinez seemingly only getting better as the years go on, Villa could easily demand a figure beyond this fee if any club tried to take him off their hands.
