Three-time Champions League winners open Emi Martinez transfer talks as Aston Villa face fight to keep hold of No.1 goalkeeper

While Martinez has enjoyed a great spell as Villa's goalkeeper, he is often the subject of transfer speculation over his future. At the end of last season, the 33-year-old appeared to say goodbye to Villa fans, fuelling talk that he would soon be playing for a new team. 

Manager Emery was more ambiguous, saying at the time: "We will see. Of course, it is the last match here [this season], and I don't know. We will see about the team, the players, but of course, they are responding on the field."

However, no exit ever materialised. Martinez is thought to have been a target for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, though the Red Devils instead chose to sign young Belgian Senne Lammens, while previous interest from the Saudi Pro League also never came to fruition. He remains a Villa player and has featured in 21 games so far this term, helping the Villans up to third in the Premier League table.

While Martinez may desire a move away, one of the problems for him is that he signed a new contract with Villa in August 2024 which still has over three years left to run. That means the club will likely want a decent transfer fee to facilitate an exit, especially with Villa so financially hamstrung in recent years.

That could arrive from Italy, with Inter keen on making a move. Their interest has been known since December, where it was claimed the Italian side were keen on recruiting Martinez during the January transfer window. The report added that Villa would be satisfied to cash in on the World Cup winner, and now Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed Inter have been in touch with Martinez's representatives to learn the terms of a potential move. Inter are keen on replacing current No.1 Sommer, who is not thought to have convinced manager Cristian Chivu and whose contract with the club will expire in the summer.

One issue would be that Martinez is on a relatively high salary at Villa and would likely have to accept a reduction in order to facilitate a deal with Inter.

If Martinez were to leave this month, the loss of his charisma and clutch mentality would be a big blow for Villa. With finances so tight at Villa Park, the club could struggle to source a replacement in the transfer market and could end up having to trust back-up goalkeeper Marco Bizot for the remainder of the campaign.

Martinez has had to miss a few games this season through injury, allowing Bizot the chance to play in ten matches so far in 2025-26. Five of those have come in the Premier League, with the 34-year-old Dutchman keeping one clean sheet and conceding eight goals.

After enjoying a stunning first half of the campaign where they were touted as possible title contenders, Villa have struggled a little more for consistency since the start of the year. After beating Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, Villa suffered a surprise home defeat to Everton, with Emery later claiming his side can't be "contenders" for the top five as there are other teams with "more potential".

Inter, meanwhile, sit in first place in Serie A but need a victory in their final league phase match in the Champions League to qualify automatically for the round of 16, with Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal leaving them down in ninth before Wednesday's games.