Chelsea have agreed a deal with Aston Villa to sign Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for a reduced fee. The experienced keeper is now expected to head to London to complete the final formalities of the transfer and add to Xabi Alonso's defensive resources.

Chelsea move quickly to sign Martinez

As per The Athletic, Chelsea acted decisively in the closing stages of the transfer window and agreed a fee of £7.5 million with Aston Villa for Martinez. The 33-year-old Argentina international is due to put pen to paper on a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with the west London side also holding an option to extend the agreement by a further 12 months.

The transfer follows a spell of major uncertainty over Martinez's future at Villa Park, which started after a proposed move to Juventus collapsed earlier in August. After that switch failed to materialise, the seasoned goalkeeper was offered to Chelsea by his representatives as they looked for a solution for the next step in his career.

Sanchez faces pressure after opening-day mistakes

Chelsea's move for Martinez gathered pace after the uneven display of current first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the club's Premier League opener. Although Chelsea beat Fulham at Craven Cottage, Sanchez made two glaring errors that almost cost his team the result. Those mistakes led to Alonso being asked whether he might consider changing his goalkeeper before the transfer window closed.

Sanchez has been Chelsea's regular starting goalkeeper for most of his time at the club since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023. During his spell at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard has made 112 appearances across all competitions.

Villa prepare for life after their Argentina star

Aston Villa had already started making plans for the exit of their long-serving goalkeeper well before the agreement with Chelsea was reached. Once it became evident that Martinez was likely to move on, the Midlands club responded swiftly by bringing in Zion Suzuki from Parma as their new first-choice goalkeeper. As part of that transition, Martinez had been training on his own at Bodymoor Heath while discussions over his future continued behind the scenes.

For the Fulham match, Chelsea named 21-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders on the bench as the main back-up to Sanchez. Penders is rated highly by the Chelsea hierarchy after an impressive loan spell at Strasbourg last season, but the coaching staff feel the squad needs a more experienced presence such as Martinez to compete at the highest level while the young goalkeeper continues his development.

End of an era at Villa Park

Martinez's exit brings to a close a highly successful period for him at Villa Park. Since arriving from Arsenal in September 2020, he has made 256 appearances and built a reputation as one of the Premier League's leading performers. He was a central figure last season as Unai Emery's side finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League and also won the Europa League.