Monday’s transfer rumor cycle involves Juventus being linked with a goalkeeper who is South American and has played in the Premier League for the last handful of years.
No, it’s not Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who is feeling as pretty that-ship-has-sailed as it can get.
Instead, it’s the starting goalkeeper for the team that finished one spot above Liverpool in the league table this past season.
According to reports from the likes of Romeo Agresti and Fabrizio Romano as well as others in the Italian
media, Juventus have opened talks — or continued depending on the source — with the representatives of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez over a potential move this summer. Martinez, 33, is the pivot move after Juventus’ attempt to sign Alisson and reunite him with his former manager at Roma, Luciano Spalletti, came up empty last month. Martinez, who just won the Europa League with Villa, has been rumored to be on the way for the last few transfer windows, and this could well be the time in which he actually leaves despite the club returning to the Champions League next season.
Romano describes Martinez as Juventus’ “priority target” after the Alisson deal has now fell through.
One of the big hurdles, as you can probably guess, is what Martinez currently earns at Aston Villa. According to Agresti, it’s an annual salary that is in the neighborhood of €9 million net — which is certainly a figure that Juventus can’t match under their current economic climate. When Juventus reportedly agreed to personal terms with Alisson last month, it was for a salary of €5 million.
Martinez has a contract with Aston Villa that runs through 2029.
Another big hurdle? Just how much Villa will demand for a potential Martinez transfer. According to Agresti, he may demand a fee as high as €40 million — which is well above the rumored price tag for Alisson.
If Juventus can’t get a deal done with Martinez and/or Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario — who was previously linked with the Bianconeri and Inter Milan — is rumored to be the next option.
