Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a surprise move to sign Aston Villa star Emi Martinez this summer.
The Lilywhites have had a busy summer window with six new arrivals at the club, including breaking their transfer record twice to bring in Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, and then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United for a combined £185m.
Spurs have also completed a deal to bring in goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer, while they have now also agreed a deal with Italian giants Juventus that will see Guglielmo Vicario depart on an initial season-long loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent next summer.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has signed a new long-term contract in north London and has been expected to be the new number one goalkeeper for the 2026/27 campaign after his strong end to last season, but it is now claimed that they could be looking for someone more established.
According to a report by Football Insider, Spurs are now exploring a move to sign Villa's World Cup-winning stopper Martinez before the September 1st deadline.
Villa had been adamant that they were going to keep the experienced goalkeeper this summer, rejecting a number of offers earlier in the window. However, Martinez has made it clear that he wants to leave for a new challenge, and Unai Emery has now moved to bring in a new number one in Zion Suzuki, as exclusively revealed by GIVEMESPORT.
With the Japan international now set to be first-choice at Villa Park, Martinez is allowed to leave, but Juventus' interest in the former Arsenal man has now ended following talks, with Vicario set to head to Serie A instead.
Reports claimed that Aston Villa wanted just €10m (£8.7m) to let him leave for Juventus, but it's unclear if they would be willing to accept the same fee from a Premier League rival.
Spurs are still in the market to strengthen their squad, with the attack understood to be a main priority for Roberto De Zerbi. Talks are ongoing with Man City over an £85m deal for Savinho, who has asked to leave, while there is big interest in Liverpool star Cody Gakpo too.
Martinez Move Would Be Odd for Spurs
Martinez has been widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world for a number of years, being described as 'world-class' by Sky Sports pundit Dan Bardell in the past.
But over the last 12 months in particular, Martinez has struggled to recapture the form that made him so good, being open to more errors and being less reliable fitness wise.
Spurs have shown that they believe in Kinsky by handing him a new contract, and the manager has praised him massively publicly as recently as this month, saying:
“I think he can improve in build-up a lot. A lot. But he will reach, for sure, the top," he said.
"Working with the goalkeeper coach and me, we will create the training just for him to better understand the free player, to understand better everything he needs. He is very clear with the pass, but he can become faster in the decision in build up.
"He has all qualities to become one of the best, also in the build up, the distribution."
All of that suggests that Kinsky is someone Spurs want to hand an opportunity too, and bringing in Martinez would just block that pathway once more. There's no doubting his ability, but at this stage of the squad's rebuild and transformation, it would simply be a very odd move.