Aston Villa well placed to sign Emiliano Martinez

Aston Villa are reportedly confident of signing Emiliano Martinez after the Argentine turned down a new Arsenal contract.

The 28-year-old started the previous season as the understudy to goalkeeper Bernd Leno and he exclusively featured in the Cup competitions until March.

However, he got the chance to impress in the Premier League following the COVID-19 shutdown after Leno sprained his knee at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Martinez has not put a foot wrong ever since, but his future with the club remains uncertain with Mikel Arteta set to stick with Leno as the first-choice keeper.

According to Football Insider, the Argentine has turned down a contract extension with the north London giants and that could boost the Villans' chances of signing him.

The west Midlands outfit will be without regular goalkeeper Tom Heaton for the opening three games at the least as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

As a result, they are desperate to land a new shot-stopper and are prepared to offer Martinez a better salary and the assurance of the number one role, should he remain consistent.

The Villans have recently made an offer close to the Gunners' £20m price tag. Arteta's side are yet to make a decision as they need to pursue a replacement first.

Brentford's David Raya has been identified as a potential replacement, but the Championship side are adamant that he is not for sale, as things stand. Raya has been reportedly valued at around £10m.