Aston Villa are close to signing Arsenal player Emiliano Martinez as he is having a medical at the Midlands club ahead of making a £20 million switch, according to 90MIN.
The Argentine’s popularity has increased at the Emirates Stadium following his impressive stint post-lockdown. However, it looks his time in north London is over as Villa are very keen to hire his services for boosting their goalkeeping options.
According to John Percy of The Telegraph, the two English sides have reached an agreement over the 28-year-old’s transfer deal worth around £20 million, and the player will undergo a medical on Saturday.
Martinez looks set to slot straight into the Lions starting lineup, and could make his first appearance for the club in their Premier League opening match against Sheffield United.
The Argentine saw the majority of the previous campaign as the Gunners’ backup option, however, he played an important role for the club following the injury to Bernd Leno, helping them to win the FA Cup and the Community Shield.
He earned nine Premier League appearances for the Gunners last year, playing a pivotal role in helping them win silverware and finish eighth at the league table. However, the 28-year-old had to wait patiently for his chances at the Emirates Stadium and managed to make only 15 league appearances since he joined the club in 2012.
Emiliano could play an important role to the Lions’ survival hopes this campaign, if he continues the good form of last season. Tom Heaton seemed to be a good signing for Villa, but his long term injury left them short of quality in the goalkeeping area.