BID ACCEPTED: Manchester United’s £122m bid for Europe’s most valued striker has been accepted as the superstar agrees personal terms to join The Reds
Manchester United wrapped up a disappointing 2024/25 campaign with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa; one final bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming season.
Finishing 15th in the Premier League, the Red Devils end the year without silverware and will miss out on European football next season.
Ruben Amorim made a couple of brave decisions against Villa last night, hinting at the future of certain players. The Portuguese tactician completely left out Alejandro Garnacho and Andre Onana from the matchday squad, which seemed like a clear sign.
The goalkeeping situation has been a letdown at Old Trafford ever since David de Gea left the club and it does look like the decision to move Onana on has been made.
Now, as per transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider, Man Utd are well placed to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Onana-dependent interest
The Argentine World Cup winner did Man Utd a favour last night in what could be his last ever game for Aston Villa, as he rushed off his line and rugby tackled Rasmus Hojlund to the floor to get a straight red and reduce Unai Emery’s side to 10 men.
Rourke mentions that a fee of around £35-40million would be sufficient to convince Villa to sell Emiliano Martinez this summer. The 32-year-old has lucrative offers from Saudi clubs but would prefer to stay in Europe at this stage of his career.
Here is what the transfer correspondent had to say on the situation surrounding Emi Martinez:
“Emi Martinez made strong hints that he was probably leaving Aston Villa. For Man United, any move is reliant on what happens with Andre Onana. If they can offload Onana for a decent fee, it will open the door for them to make a move for Martinez, but there are a lot of clubs who are interested in him.”
It has also been mentioned that clubs like Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are also interested in Emi Martinez. For Man Utd, for any deal to happen, they will have to move Andre Onana on, who also has interest from Saudi clubs.
The 32-year-old is exactly the kind of charismatic figure Man Utd need inbetween the sticks to help Ruben Amorim lead us into the new project. However, Emi Martinez is an eccentric character who can often frustrate as much as he succeeds.
Whether United make a serious push for Emiliano Martinez remains to be seen. Without the lure of European competition, attracting top talent won’t be straightforward, but if a move for Onana materializes, it could pave the way. For now, United’s goalkeeping conundrum is just one of many questions facing Ruben Amorim as he looks to reshape the squad.
