Manchester United have stepped up their efforts to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano “Emi” Martínez this summer, according to Football Insider.
The Red Devils, led by new boss Rúben Amorim, want to overhaul their squad after a hugely disappointing season where they ended up 15th in the Premier League and missed out on European competition after losing the Europa League final.
A major area they’re looking to improve is between the posts, with World Cup-winning Martínez now their top target for the goalkeeper position.
Despite having a contract with Villa that pays him around £150,000 per week, Martínez is expected to leave the club this summer.
Aston Villa themselves failed to qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League, and their financial situation is forcing them to sell some key players to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Given these circumstances, Martínez looks like a very realistic sale, and United have quickly moved to make him a priority signing.
That said, Manchester United need to sort out their own goalkeeping issue first. Before they can bring in Martínez, they must sell André Onana, who is the club’s current number one goalkeeper.
United’s leadership team is already making regular contact with Martínez and his camp, reportedly “calling every day,” to persuade him to come to Old Trafford.
Personal terms do not seem to be an issue as Fabrizio Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that Martínez has already agreed in principle to join United this summer.
Still, nothing will happen until Onana is sold and United can make space for Martínez in the squad and on the wage bill.
Missing out on Liam Delap earlier this summer left the club embarrassed, so they want to make sure they do everything right this time and secure the goalkeeper they want.
While their pursuit of Martínez looks promising, United have also been calling Viktor Gyökeres’ camp to stay in the mix for the Swedish striker.
However, Gyökeres has indicated that his top priority is a move to Arsenal, which complicates United’s striker search.
That setback has put even more focus on getting the Martínez deal completed as smoothly as possible.
