Chelsea Eye Move for Aston Villa Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez

Chelsea are weighing up a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after opening talks with the Argentina international’s camp.

The 33-year-old World Cup winner is regarded as available for transfer at Villa Park following the club’s £30m capture of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma earlier this month, a signing that has reshaped Unai Emery’s goalkeeping department and opened the door to offers for his current No 1.

If Chelsea push ahead, it would be the latest chapter in an increasingly busy trading route between the two clubs. This summer has already seen Morgan Rogers arrive at Stamford Bridge from Villa in a deal worth a club-record £117m, with Alejandro Garnacho heading the other way on an initial loan.

That may not be the end of it. Nicolas Jackson, valued at around £65m, is another potential mover in this web of negotiations, with the striker being lined up for a switch to Villa that would reunite him with Emery, his former manager.

The relationship between the clubs has grown unusually close. They were central to a deal widely labelled a “PSR swap” earlier in the window, when Ian Maatsen joined Villa and Omari Kellyman – now at Strasbourg – went to Chelsea in a move that drew attention for its impact on profit and sustainability calculations as much as its football logic.

Martinez has already been on the market once this summer. Juventus tried to prise him away from Villa earlier in the window, only for the move to collapse amid concerns over a finger injury. The Italian side pivoted quickly, turning instead to Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario on loan.

Chelsea’s interest comes against a backdrop of growing scrutiny on current No 1 Robert Sanchez. In the opening Premier League game at Fulham, Sanchez was beaten at his near post by Josh King’s angled effort, then spilled another shot into a dangerous area, allowing Gonzalo Garcia to score in a chaotic 3-2 Chelsea win at Craven Cottage.

Xavi Alonso stood by his goalkeeper in the immediate aftermath and again faced questions about him in the build-up to Thursday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town at Stamford Bridge.

“No, (we have had) normal conversations,” he said when asked if there had been specific talks with Sanchez. “We have talked more about the team thing, about what we did well and what we have to do better.

“It was more about understanding the context. Every game is going to be important because we are in this process that we still need to develop things, we need to make adjustments that are more team-related.”

Those words did little to quiet the noise around the position. Chelsea’s No 2, Mike Penders, who returned in the summer from a strong loan spell at Strasbourg, is pushing for minutes and could start against Luton.

“He’s in the squad, so he has an opportunity,” Alonso said. “We will decide and give the team to the players tomorrow, so I prefer to expect that they know first.”

For now, Sanchez keeps the gloves and Penders waits. But with Martinez suddenly back on the radar and the transfer lines between Chelsea and Villa already red hot, the next decision in goal at Stamford Bridge may not be Alonso’s alone.