The goalkeeper carousel that has run through the last 48 hours has landed on Emiliano Martinez.
Football Insider reported on Monday that Tottenham had opened talks with Aston Villa about the 33-year-old Argentine, framing the interest as an approach rather than a done deal. The website said Roberto De Zerbi’s side were searching for a senior goalkeeper after agreeing to let Guglielmo Vicario join Juventus.
Vicario’s Serie A switch clears the way
The Vicario deal is now agreed as a season-long loan with an £8.5m option to buy. The 29-year-old, who joined Spurs from Empoli in 2023, had lost his first-choice spot to Antonin Kinsky and asked De Zerbi for permission to return to Italy.
Kinsky, according to reports, helped steer the club clear of relegation with a strong run of displays in the final weeks of last season.
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Juventus only turned to Vicario after their first choice fell through. Their £8.5m bid for Martinez was rejected by Villa earlier this month, and the Serie A club cooled their interest.
Suzuki’s arrival changes the picture at Villa
The wider dynamic shifted on Sunday, when Villa agreed a £29.9m (€35m) deal with Parma for Japan international Zion Suzuki.
Sky Sports reported that the 23-year-old “started all four of Japan’s matches at this summer’s World Cup, where they were knocked out by Brazil in the round of 32”. Suzuki had been expected to join Paris Saint-Germain before that move fell apart, allowing Villa to step back in.
Villa intend to install him as their new first choice. That leaves Martinez, six years and a Europa League title into his Villa Park career, looking for a way out.
Spurs’ search since Lloris
The need for a No 1 at Tottenham is not new. Since Hugo Lloris left the club in 2024, Spurs have cycled through options without landing on a long-term successor.
De Zerbi himself only took over at Spurs at the end of March, replacing Igor Tudor on a long-term contract, and now has to solve the goalkeeper problem inherited from his predecessors.
Martinez would be a familiar name to anyone who watched the 2022 World Cup: he was Argentina’s goalkeeper for the penalty shootout win over France in the Lusail final, and remains one of the most recognisable stoppers in the international game.
Football Insider reported the approach without naming a figure. The £8.5m Juventus bid Villa rejected earlier this month is the last public marker for where negotiations would begin.
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