Martinez to Chelsea! Blues agree £7.5m deal for Aston Villa & Argentina goalkeeper

According to The Athletic, Chelsea have moved decisively in the final stages of the transfer window to agree a fee worth £7.5 million with Aston Villa for Martinez. The 33-year-old Argentina international is set to sign a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with the west London club also retaining the option to extend the deal by an additional 12 months.

The move comes after a period of significant uncertainty regarding Martinez's future at Villa Park, which began when a proposed transfer to Juventus broke down earlier in August. Following that failed move, the experienced goalkeeper was offered to Chelsea by his representatives as they sought a solution to secure his next career step.

The decision to pursue Martinez was accelerated by the inconsistent performance of current Chelsea number one Robert Sanchez during the club's Premier League opener. Despite Chelsea securing a victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Sanchez was guilty of a pair of high-profile mistakes that nearly cost his side the points. These errors prompted manager Alonso to field questions over whether he would consider a change of goalkeeper before the window shut.

Sanchez has been the established starting goalkeeper for the majority of his time at the club since his high-profile arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023. During his stint at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard has made 112 appearances in total across all competitions.

Aston Villa had already begun preparing for the departure of their long-serving goalkeeper well before the deal with Chelsea was struck. Once it became clear that Martinez would likely be leaving, the Midlands club acted quickly by signing Zion Suzuki from Parma to be their new number one. This transition meant that Martinez had been training alone at Bodymoor Heath while his future was resolved behind the scenes.

During the Fulham fixture, Chelsea's bench featured 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, who served as the primary back-up to Sanchez. Penders is highly thought of by the Chelsea hierarchy following an impressive loan spell at Strasbourg last season, but the coaching staff believe the squad requires a more experienced figure like Martinez to compete at the highest level while the youngster continues his professional development.

The departure of Martinez marks the end of a highly successful chapter for the player at Villa Park. Since joining the club from Arsenal in September 2020, he has made 256 appearances and established himself as one of the Premier League's top performers, serving as a key figure last term as Unai Emery's side finished fourth to secure Champions League football and won the Europa League.