Man Utd see Emi Martinez as a 'huge upgrade' on Andre Onana & are prepared to 'take whatever they can get' for calamitous Cameroonian in order to make formal move for Aston Villa goalkeeper

After a forgettable outing in the 2024-25 campaign, where the club finished 15th in the Premier League, United manager Ruben Amorim is eyeing a major overhaul of the squad in the summer transfer window. As part of his team rebuilding process, the Portuguese coach is ready to part ways with Onana as United are eyeing a move for Aston Villa's Emi Martinez. As per ex-chief scout Brown, the Red Devils have made it clear that signing the Argentina goalkeeper is their number one priority.

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown said: "Man United have made it clear they would like to sign Martinez. They’ll take whatever they can get for Onana, and then they’ll make contact with Aston Villa and see if they can get a deal over the line. He’s seen as a huge upgrade on Onana so they’re prepared to take a hit to get things moving.

"If Man United could swap Onana for Martinez tomorrow, they’d jump at it. Martinez is in his 30s now, but he’s a very capable goalkeeper and they’re not concerned about that. The only issue, as things stand, is that they need to move Onana away before they go for Martinez because they don’t want to end up with both on the books. They’re waiting for a bid to arrive so that they can accelerate things and start speaking to Villa. For now, it’s just what they would like to do, not something they’re able to do."

Martinez has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray, while Atletico Madrid see him as a potential replacement for Jan Oblak. The 32-year-old goalkeeper has been tipped to leave Villa Park after he seemingly waved a tearful goodbye to the Villa fans after their final home game of the 2024-25 season, with the Midlands club said to be open to a sale.

United are close to finalising their second transfer of the current window after Matheus Cunha, as Bryan Mbeumo has made up his mind to leave Brentford and head to Old Trafford.