Emiliano Martinez is on the verge of a Premier League switch that few saw coming just a week ago. The Argentina goalkeeper and 2022 World Cup winner is closing in on a move from Aston Villa to Chelsea, bringing an end to a six-year spell at Villa Park that included a Europa League triumph last season.
Chelsea and Aston Villa have agreed a deal worth around £7.5 million (roughly $10.2 million) for the 33-year-old, with reports indicating Martinez will sign a contract running through June 2028, with the option of a further year.
The move materialized remarkably quickly. Martinez gave his personal approval to join Chelsea early in the week before the two Premier League clubs finalized terms just a day or two later. That pace is notable given Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso had, at least publicly, seemed satisfied with his existing goalkeeping options at the start of August.
The catalyst appears to have been a shaky start to the season for Chelsea’s incumbent number one, Robert Sanchez, whose errors in the club’s 3-2 opening-weekend win over Fulham put the goalkeeping department under fresh scrutiny and appear to have accelerated the club’s interest in Martinez.
Martinez’s exit from Villa has been building for some time. He appeared to bid an emotional farewell to fans after the club’s final home game of last season, though a transfer never materialized — reportedly because Manchester United’s hierarchy overruled manager Ruben Amorim’s wish to sign him, opting instead for the younger Senne Lammens.
This summer, Martinez was pushed further down the pecking order after Villa signed Japan international Zion Suzuki from Parma for close to £30 million. A proposed move to Juventus also collapsed, reportedly over concerns about Martinez’s long-standing finger injury, with the Italian club instead bringing in Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham. With Suzuki now installed as Villa’s long-term number one, Martinez’s departure became a formality.
At 33, Martinez arrives as an experienced, ready-made upgrade at a position that has become a pressing concern for Alonso’s side. He’s expected to become Chelsea’s likely first-choice goalkeeper after six years established as one of the Premier League’s most combative and reliable shot-stoppers.
His résumé speaks for itself: Martinez helped Aston Villa finish fourth in the Premier League and win the Europa League last season, and on the international stage he won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and reached the final again this past summer, finishing runners-up to Spain.
Notably, Martinez is reportedly willing to make the move even though Chelsea have no European football this season — a real sacrifice for a player used to competing at the highest level, and a sign of just how eager he was to secure regular first-team football after being squeezed out at Villa Park.
Martinez is expected to travel for a medical in the coming days before putting pen to paper, with the deal needing to be wrapped up before the transfer window closes. Assuming the formalities go through, Chelsea will have added a battle-hardened, championship-pedigree goalkeeper on the cheap in the closing days of the window — a deal that looked unthinkable just two weeks ago, and one of the more eye-catching pieces of late transfer business in the Premier League this summer.
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