Aston Villa have told Juventus where to go after the Serie A club’s latest bid for Emiliano Martinez fell far short of their valuation. The Midlands side are sitting pretty with Martinez locked in until June 2029, and they see no reason to sell their World Cup-winning goalkeeper.
What’s behind the Juventus move?
Juventus reignited contact for Martinez shortly after the World Cup wrapped up, according to reports from Sport Mediaset relayed by Transfer Feed. Turin has long admired the 33-year-old Argentine stopper, but the latest whisper makes it clear a move to Serie A is dead in the water. The financial demands from Martinez’s camp are described as astronomical, and Juventus simply cannot match them while tightening their own belt.
Villa have zero incentive to move Martinez on. Unai Emery views him as the bedrock of his project at B6 after Martinez starred in the 2025/26 campaign. The World Cup winner made 32 Premier League appearances, kept eight clean sheets and posted a 71.1% save percentage. He let in 37 goals across the domestic run while pulling off 96 saves, earning a 7.07 average match rating. Add a Europa League winner’s medal to that haul, and Martinez’s value to Villa is obvious.
Why Aston Villa won’t blink
Villa Park bosses are in no rush to cash in. Martinez’s fresh deal ties him to the club until 2029, and he hasn’t thrown his toys out of the pram or demanded an exit. The sticking point isn’t the player-it’s the agent. The demands currently knocking on doors that Juventus cannot open are simply too rich for Serie A’s Old Lady to meet.
Replacing Martinez in a single summer window is practically impossible, especially for a club lining up another crack at European football. His reading of play, his distribution under pressure and his sheer presence when barking orders at the back four aren’t commodities you pop down to the market and buy in mid-July. The Argentine’s numbers throughout 2025/26 proved his worth twice over: averaging over seven out of 10 across an intense campaign while lifting European silverware is top-tier stuff for a keeper pushing towards his mid-thirties.
What comes next for Villa?
Villa ended the 2025/26 season fourth in the Premier League on 65 points from 38 games, 20 adrift of leaders Arsenal. Their recent form reads WWDLL, and their next fixture sees them travel to Hull City on September 5, 2026. With Martinez firmly in place and Emery’s project clicking, the only transfer talk Villa should entertain is the kind that strengthens the squad-not the kind that weakens it.
