Aston Villa appear to be making moves to replace Emi Martinez this summer.
The 32-year-old is a two-time Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Award winner and has been a key reason behind the Villans’ rise to the upper echelons of English football in recent years.
However, the club now appears to be gearing up for life beyond Martinez.
Aston Villa located Emi Martinez replacement amid mooted Saudi interest
A recent report from the Telegraph has revealed that the World Cup winner – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now – may also have future plans of his own.
The newspaper states that Martinez, along with winger Leon Bailey, are attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League.
That comes at the same time as a report from Spanish outlet Marca, revealing Villa as a side “strongly linked” to highly-sought Espanyol gloveman Joan Garcia.
The two stories together paint a picture of a changing of the guard between the sticks at Villa Park, despite Martinez’s position seeming relatively concrete to this point.
Garcia has a release clause of €25m, which could rise to €30m if he’s called up by Spain, but Marca revealed a tricky financial picture could lead to accepting a lower figure for a quick and guaranteed sale.
Villa will not have a clear path to concluding a move for Garcia, however, with reports crediting the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester United with an interest.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while there is no doubting Martinez’s impact in the Midlands and for his country, there have been some creeping doubts around recent performances.
Questions were asked in performances to forget against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League; critical junctions in Villa’s season, if they’re to establish themselves at the top level.
While Martinez – who is known as one of football's most eccentric characters – hasn’t had the sort of drop-off to provoke panic just yet, the fact that Villa appear to be making moves to refresh the position shows the clinical, if slightly brutal, edge they’ll need to maintain their current progress under Unai Emery.
Garcia is valued at €20m according to Transfermarkt. Aston Villa next face Fulham when Premier League action returns this weekend.
