Chelsea enter talks with Emiliano Martínez after being offered goalkeeper

Chelsea entered talks with Emiliano Martínez’s camp on 26 August 2026 after being offered the goalkeeper, and the club is considering whether to make an approach.

Martínez has informed Aston Villa that he wants to leave and a proposed move to Juventus collapsed last week after Villa signed his replacement, Zion Suzuki, from Parma for £30m. The 33-year-old keeper won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, reached the 2026 final, lifted the Europa League with Villa last season and the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2020. He was not included in Villa’s squad for their heavy opening-weekend defeat at Brighton, with Marco Bizot starting and Suzuki named on the bench.

Chelsea have struggled to keep a consistent goalkeeper, failing to record a Premier League clean sheet in 17 games — their longest run since August 1991. Robert Sánchez has been the club’s main No 1 but has been described in the report as prone to mistakes, and pundits have questioned whether he is the right option to challenge for titles. The availability of Martínez and the offer to Chelsea has generated interest at the club as a potential solution.

Xabi Alonso selected Sánchez for Monday’s win against Fulham, during which two Sánchez errors led to goals. Despite plans to line up Mike Penders, 21, as a future first-choice, Sánchez remains the current starting goalkeeper following the manager’s selection for that match. The squad’s goalkeeping situation thus remains fluid.

Chelsea have been offered Martínez and are weighing up whether to make an offer for the experienced international, and sources say the club is mulling if the opportunity is too good to turn down. Talks are ongoing between Chelsea and Martínez’s representatives about the terms of a deal that, according to the report, could address both clubs’ needs.

Negotiations over terms between Chelsea and Martínez’s camp are continuing and represent the next concrete step in any potential transfer that would directly affect both Chelsea’s search for defensive stability and Villa’s goalkeeping setup.