The World Cup is over, the dust from the final is settling, and for Juventus the most important transfer story of the entire summer is finally entering its decisive phase. According to Calciomercato, fresh contacts between the bianconeri and Aston Villa over Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez are imminent — with the coming days set to be the most significant yet in a pursuit that has dominated Turin’s summer since June.
Where Things Stand — A Draft Agreement in Place, One Obstacle Remaining
The state of play is unambiguous and has not changed in its essentials for weeks. Martínez has already given his personal openness to a move to Serie A. A draft personal agreement covering the terms of his Juventus contract is in place. What continues to separate the two clubs is the transfer fee — a gap that has proved stubbornly resistant to closure throughout the summer but which must now be addressed with new urgency, given that pre-season is under way and the new season is approaching fast.
Aston Villa have maintained a position of public firmness throughout — insisting at various points that Martínez is not for sale, or that any departure would require a fee significantly above what Juventus have been willing to offer. Internally, however, the picture is more nuanced. The promise Unai Emery reportedly made to the goalkeeper last summer — that he would support a departure after one more season — remains the mechanism through which Juventus and Martínez’s camp are working to bring the fee down to a workable level.
Kolo Muani: PSG Still Holding Firm
On the striker front, Randal Kolo Muani’s situation remains unchanged. The French striker continues to push hard for a return to Turin — he has made his personal preference abundantly clear throughout the summer — but PSG have not softened their financial demands from the figures that first caused the negotiations to stall. Both parties acknowledge that movement is required from the French side if this deal is to be completed before the window closes.
The Priority Order Is Clear
Goalkeeper and striker. Everything else — Pellegrino’s imminent confirmation, Kessié’s advancing wage negotiations, the Lucumí waiting game — sits behind those two signings in Carnevali and Massara’s order of priorities. The next few days, with Martínez now free from World Cup obligations and able to engage directly and publicly with Aston Villa about his future, represent the moment the entire summer has been building towards. Juventus are ready. The goalkeeper is willing. The question, as it has always been, is whether Villa can be convinced to let him go at a price that works.
