After a couple of weeks of things looking like they were dead in the water when it comes to Juventus’ pursuit of Emi Martinez, things have changed back to all things are back on — and quickly, too.
As Aston Villa have taken full advantage of things falling apart between Zion Suzuki and Paris Saint-Germain and agreed to a deal for the Japanese goalkeeper with Parma, the domino effect now appears to be something Juventus are trying to also work in their favor. According to multiple reports on Sunday
— including from The Athletic’s David Ornstein — Juventus have submitted a new bid for the 33-year-old Martinez. It goes a little something like this: an initial €7 million fee with another €3 million in add-ons.
Martinez, who has contract with Aston Villa through 2029, has already reportedly agreed to personal terms with Juventus on a three-year contract. News of that came all the way back in early June.
As news first broke that Juve reached out to Martinez’s camp again on Saturday following things falling apart between Suzuki and PSG, The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell put it simply: Martinez was, at the same time, “in negotiations to leave.”
Now you can see why the wheels are in motion once again.
A big reason why Juventus are still sending in a bid that looks to be under Aston Villa’s asking price for Martinez — who was also rumored to be on his way out last summer before a potential move to Manchester United never materialized — is that there are still some questions about the status of Martinez’s injured finger, according to Fabrizio Romano. What the status of that injury that Martinez suffered before the Europa League final in April is rather unknown at this point, and will obviously be a big of a blow to Juve if he suddenly has to undergo surgery to repair a broken finger that he played with all throughout Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.
That being said, Juve appear to be trying to close a deal for Martinez again.
And considering what the last week or so has been like in goal for the Bianconeri, that’s quite an unexpected turn.
Everything appears to be in place for this to be the time in which Martinez leaves Aston Villa, a club he has been at since 2020. Juventus appear to have inside track to become his next club the way things look right now. So, it’s all about how they can close the deal and get them a goalkeeper that manager Luciano Spalletti has been hoping joins his team all summer long.
