Chelsea have been offered the opportunity to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, with the London club reportedly considering a move this week. The Premier League club's interest comes after a series of unconvincing performances from their current goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez.
Martinez, 33, is one of three senior goalkeepers at Aston Villa, following the recent arrival of Zion Suzuki. The club's decision to seek a new team for Martinez is also influenced by his status as the squad's top earner after Youri Tielemans' departure to Manchester United in July. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is reportedly planning to proceed with Suzuki and Marco Bizot as his primary goalkeeping options.
Earlier in the summer, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso had expressed satisfaction with his goalkeeping pair, Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders. However, Sanchez's display in Chelsea's recent 3-2 victory over Fulham has reportedly led to renewed scrutiny of his position.
Alonso addressed Sanchez's performance, stating, "Normal conversations. We have talked more about the team thing, about what we did well and what we have to do better. It was more about understanding the context." He added, "Every game is going to be important because we are in this process that we still need to develop things, we need to make adjustments that are more team-related."
Chelsea has also integrated 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders into their squad, following his successful loan spell at Strasbourg last season. Penders, a former Genk youth player, is highly regarded by the club and has been compared to former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Alonso indicated that Penders is likely to feature in Chelsea's Carabao Cup match against Luton Town on Thursday, stating, "He's in the squad and will have an opportunity."
A potential move for Martinez would not be seen as hindering Penders' development, given Martinez's age.
Martinez's potential transfer follows a collapsed move to Juventus earlier in August, despite an initial bid of £6 million from the Italian club.