Aston Villa pursue Suzuki as Juventus revive interest in Martinez
Goalkeeper Movements
Aston Villa are reportedly in negotiations to sign Zion Suzuki, a goalkeeper from Parma. This development comes as Juventus have renewed their interest in Villa’s current goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez. Martinez is said to be open to leaving Villa after six seasons with the club.
Suzuki, who was born in the US to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother, was raised in Japan. He started his career at Urawa Red Diamonds before moving to Sint-Truiden and then Parma. He started all four of Japan’s games at the World Cup. Suzuki was previously close to joining Paris Saint-Germain, but that deal reportedly stalled due to financial demands from his representatives.
Juventus had an offer for Martinez dismissed earlier this summer, but they have now revisited a move for the 33-year-old. Villa are advancing a deal to sign Suzuki as a potential replacement for Martinez. Juventus are also reportedly monitoring Ederson of Fenerbahce and Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario.
Other Transfer Speculations
In other transfer news, Arsenal may need to offer more than £60m for Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen from Galatasaray. Barcelona reportedly believes their third offer of 70m euros (£59.8m) for Rodri could persuade Manchester City to sell the Spain midfielder.
Manchester City is also in negotiations for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, who are seeking at least £85m for the player. Newcastle has restarted talks to sign Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, with Aston Villa and Benfica also showing interest in the Portugal midfielder.
Inter Milan is reportedly looking to sell Brazilian winger Luis Henrique to fund a move for Liverpool’s England midfielder Curtis Jones, who is expected to cost around 40m euros (£34m). Chelsea is demanding £60m for Nicolas Jackson, with Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Atletico Madrid among the interested clubs.
Chelsea’s English forward Liam Delap wants to remain in the Premier League despite interest from Como, with Newcastle and Everton monitoring his situation. Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo has indicated to Liverpool his desire to leave the club and join Tottenham. Benfica is also interested in English defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who has seen his playing time decrease at Chelsea.
Paris Saint-Germain has signed Spain’s World Cup-winning forward Ferran Torres from Barcelona on a contract until 2031. Torres scored the extra-time winner in the final against Argentina and contributed 21 goals and three assists in 49 appearances for Barça last season.
Djed Spence has completed his move from Tottenham to Inter on a five-year deal, with the England defender costing around €30m. West Ham has signed Belgium midfielder Arne Engels from Celtic on a five-year contract in a deal understood to be worth around £22m. Coventry has agreed a deal to sign Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi from Nottingham Forest, who scored four top-flight goals last season.
Club Financial Considerations
Aston Villa’s pursuit of Suzuki and the potential departure of Martinez are part of broader financial considerations for the club. Villa dismissed an offer from Juventus for Martinez earlier in the summer. Villa has already sold Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, and Lucas Digne this summer.
There are also doubts regarding whether Villa will be able to retain Ezri Konsa, with Arsenal reportedly keen to sign the England defender but reluctant to meet Villa’s £60m valuation. To recruit a forward of Premier League pedigree, Villa may need to make another major sale to comply with financial rules, as Martinez is believed to be Villa’s highest earner.
Villa expects to finalize the £17m signing of Atlético Madrid full-back Matteo Ruggeri in the coming days. They are also continuing to pursue Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha after Amadou Onana sustained an injury at the World Cup with Belgium. Nicolas Jackson is among Unai Emery’s preferred attacking targets for Villa, but he cannot join on loan after Alejandro Garnacho’s loan signing.
Ferran Torres will be reunited with Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, having previously played under him for the national team.
Source: bbc.com
