Football
Exclusive: Man Utd Plot January Raid for Emiliano Martínez After Deadline Day Collapse
Manchester United are set to make a second attempt to sign Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa in the upcoming transfer window. The Red Devils are looking to offload mistake-prone goalkeepers and bring in Martinez to compete for the number one spot. The deal is expected to be worth around £25-30 million.
Brentford v Aston Villa - Premier League by Vince Mignott/MB Media | Getty Images
Manchester United will make a second attempt to sign Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez when the next transfer window opens, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The Red Devils tried to sign the hugely respected Argentina international at the eleventh hour, but 33-year-old was understood to have been left at Villa’s training ground waiting for a move to materialise.
Martinez is understood to have made it clear to Villa and boss Unai Emery that he wanted to leave and pursue a new challenge after five seasons at the club.
The experienced shot-stopper is also believed to have spoken to United boss Ruben Amorim, but a deal never materialised as the Red Devils signed Belgium international Senne Lammens on deadline day.
Lammens, 23, joined on a five-year £18.1million deal plus add-ons, while mistake-ridden Cameroon international Andre Onana has been shipped out on loan to Turkish Super Lig outfit Trabzonspor until the end of the season.
TIME TO OFFLOAD
Our sources have learnt United are keen to offload Onana on a permanent basis as well as Turkey international Altay Bayindir, who has also been guilty of some high-profile mistakes.
The plan is to offload both players with a view to bringing in Martinez and leaving him and Lammens to fight it out for the number one jersey at Old Trafford.
Martinez was back in the Aston Villa squad for their goalless draw with Everton at the weekend, having missed out on the matchday squad in the 3-0 defeat to FA Cup holders Crystal Palace.
A deal for Martinez is expected to be worth in the region of £25-30million, with add-ons and United, who are desperate to find a consistent performer between the posts, are understood to be hungry to get a deal signed and over the line early when the window re-opens.
Martinez joined Villa in 2020 and has since gone on to play over 200 games for the club.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.