Chelsea in talks with Emiliano Martínez and prepared for Manchester City bid for Enzo Fernández

Chelsea have been given the chance to sign Emiliano Martínez and are seriously considering a move for the Aston Villa goalkeeper. The club are in talks with the Argentine's representatives while simultaneously preparing for an expected bid from Manchester City for Enzo Fernández, Martínez's international teammate and a key figure in the Chelsea midfield.

• Chelsea are weighing up a formal bid for Emiliano Martínez after being offered the goalkeeper.
• Martínez has told Aston Villa he wants to leave, with a move to Juventus collapsing last week.
• Manchester City are expected to make an offer for Enzo Fernández before Tuesday night's transfer deadline.
• Chelsea have gone 17 Premier League games without a clean sheet, their worst run since August 1991.
• Xabi Alonso picked Robert Sánchez for the opening win over Fulham, but two errors led to goals.

Why Emiliano Martínez wants to leave Aston Villa

Emiliano Martínez has made it clear to Aston Villa that he wants a new challenge. The 33-year-old had been on course to join Juventus, but that deal fell through last week. By then, Villa had already signed Zion Suzuki from Parma for £30m as a replacement, a move that signalled the club were planning for life after the Argentine.

The opening round of the Premier League season offered a telling glimpse of the situation. Martínez was left out of the squad for Villa's heavy defeat at Brighton, with Marco Bizot starting in goal and Suzuki on the bench. That scenario reinforces the view that the World Cup winner is no longer central to the club's immediate plans and that an exit would suit all parties.

Chelsea's long-running goalkeeper problem

Goalkeeping has been a persistent headache for Chelsea in recent seasons. Robert Sánchez has been the main option between the posts, but his performances have been littered with costly mistakes. In the opening league victory over Fulham, Xabi Alonso handed him the start and two errors led directly to goals, reigniting the debate over whether the Spaniard is the right man for a team chasing silverware.

The club see Mike Penders, 21, as the long-term first-choice goalkeeper, but the sudden availability of Martínez has caught the attention of the recruitment team. Chelsea believe the opportunity to land a keeper of his calibre could be too good to ignore, especially given the urgency surrounding the position.

Emiliano Martínez's trophy record adds weight to Chelsea interest

Martínez arrives with a CV packed with silverware. He won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and reached the final in 2026. At club level, he lifted the Europa League with Aston Villa last season and the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2020. That big-game experience is exactly what Chelsea believe they need to take the next competitive step.

Discussions with the player's camp are focused on the terms of a deal that would solve problems for both clubs. Villa would free up wages and give Suzuki the chance to develop, while Chelsea would reinforce a position that has generated far too many doubts in recent years.

Manchester City step up their pursuit of Enzo Fernández

While Chelsea work on their goalkeeping situation, they must also manage a potential departure from midfield. Manchester City are expected to make an offer for Enzo Fernández before the transfer window closes on Tuesday night. Any deal would leave Chelsea scrambling to find a replacement with very little time left.

Chelsea have already sent City a firm message: they needed to pay £120m by 14 August to secure the midfielder. That date has passed, but Enzo remains a priority target for City boss Enzo Maresca, who worked with the Argentine during his time at Stamford Bridge. In the opening fixture at Fulham, Alonso selected Reece James and Roméo Lavia in central midfield, leaving Fernández on the bench, a decision that has not gone unnoticed.

City's midfield rebuild continues

The Manchester club are pressing ahead with a major overhaul of their engine room. On Wednesday they completed the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a €100m deal, worth around £85.7m, while agreeing to sell Nico González to Newcastle for £52m. A potential move for Fernández would round off a profound reshaping of a crucial area of the squad.

Chelsea's worst defensive run in more than three decades

Chelsea have now gone 17 Premier League matches without a clean sheet, their longest such run since August 1991. That statistic has fuelled criticism of Robert Sánchez and pushed the club into action in the transfer market. Pundits have openly questioned whether the current goalkeeper is the right fit for a project with title ambitions.

The club's hierarchy believe Martínez would bring immediate security to the position while allowing Penders to develop without being thrown into the starting role prematurely. If the deal goes through, it would mark a significant shift in the planning of a squad that has spent heavily in recent years without finding the stability it craves in goal.