Aston Villa are bracing for another turbulent summer development as goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has reportedly agreed a deal with Juventus on a personal level.
It has been a summer of considerable change at Villa Park already, with the club cashing in on Morgan Rogers for a British record transfer fee.
Youri Tielemans has also departed, joining Manchester United, leaving Unai Emery to reshape his squad significantly heading into the new season.
Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho have all arrived at Villa Park as Emery finally gets the opportunity to spend big on his squad.
The situation surrounding Martinez has been simmering for some time, with the Argentine goalkeeper famously appearing to wave goodbye to Villa Park last summer before ultimately staying.
Now, twelve months on, Juventus have reignited those exit fears, and according to Italian journalist Allesio Lento as relayed by Sport Witness, this time it appears far more serious.
Juventus have agreed terms with Martinez personally and must now shift their focus toward club-to-club negotiations, though those talks are expected to be far from straightforward.
Negotiations will reportedly have to be “significant” if Juventus want to land the shot-stopper, with the Italian club still some way off from matching Villa’s asking price.
Aston Villa demonstrated their resolve as tough negotiators when securing a record fee for Rogers, and they are unlikely to accept anything less than their full valuation for Martinez.
Villa have reportedly been preparing for this scenario throughout the summer and have already identified potential replacements, including Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
Suzuki impressed during the World Cup with Japan, maintaining a 70.6% save percentage, just 1.4% lower than Martinez at the same tournament, making him a credible option.
Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu has also entered Villa’s radar following an impressive Bundesliga campaign in which he made 102 saves and created three chances, and at 24 could be a long-term solution.
Lucas Chevalier of PSG represents another potential option, though his stock dropped following a disappointing debut campaign with the Parisian club.
Away from the Martinez saga, Villa have reportedly made contact to sign Jonathan Rowe from Bologna, a former Norwich City player who impressed in Italy last season.
Rowe was involved in 13 goals across all competitions last season and notably dominated Matty Cash when Bologna faced Aston Villa in the Europa League.