Everything in the Italian goalkeeper market revolves around one man: Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. Juventus’s pursuit of the Argentine World Cup winner has intensified, according to Nicolò Schira in Tuttosport, with a draft agreement on personal terms already in place — a three-year contract worth €5.5 million per season plus bonuses — and the club now applying maximum pressure to bring the deal over the line.
The groundwork has been laid by agent Gustavo Goni and intermediary Vlado Lemic, both of whom have given clear priority to Juventus in order to satisfy the goalkeeper’s own desire for a new challenge. After six years at Aston Villa — during which he played a decisive role in transforming the club from relegation candidates to Champions League regulars and Europa League winners — Martínez has concluded his cycle at Villa Park and is hungry for a final great adventure elsewhere.
The Sticking Point: Emery, a Promise, and the Transfer Fee
The obstacle that has prevented the deal from being concluded is the same one it has always been: the fee. Juventus’s position is clear — paying between €15 and €20 million for a goalkeeper who will turn 34 in September simply does not fit their financial framework. Carnevali is working to bring the figure down to somewhere between €7 and €8 million, a valuation that would allow Aston Villa to avoid registering a loss on the transaction and that would remain within the bianconeri‘s parameters under the UEFA Settlement Agreement. Villa’s current demands, which have been placed as high as €12 million in recent communications, remain above that level.
The key to unlocking the deal is not financial but personal: Unai Emery made a promise to Martínez twelve months ago that he would facilitate a departure in the summer of 2026 in exchange for staying another season. Juventus and Martínez’s camp are now quietly but firmly calling on that promise to be honoured — and at a price that does not punish the goalkeeper for his loyalty.
Should Martínez leave, Villa’s shortlist of replacements includes Restes of Toulouse, Manchester City’s James Trafford, Risser of Lens — and, intriguingly, Zion Suzuki of Parma.
Suzuki: Rejects Leeds, Waits for Something Bigger
That final name connects to the second strand of this goalkeeper story. Suzuki this week turned down a formal approach from Leeds United, who were prepared to offer Parma as much as €30 million for the Japanese international. The rejection is not merely an expression of preference — it is a deliberate strategic signal. By declining Leeds, Suzuki and his camp are making clear that they are holding out for a club of higher standing: specifically either Aston Villa — as a potential Martínez replacement — or Juventus, whose interest in the goalkeeper as an alternative to Martínez has already been sounded out in preliminary conversations with Parma. At €30 million, Suzuki would represent a more expensive solution than either Vicario or a discounted Martínez deal — but the quality and age profile make him a credible long-term option if both preferred routes prove impossible.
Vicario: Turin’s Willing Alternative — but Napoli Are Also Calling
Guglielmo Vicario watches these developments as an intensely interested observer. Demoted from first to third choice at Tottenham following Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival, the Italian international is determined to return to Serie A — and his name has now been put to Napoli as well as Juventus. For the bianconeri, he remains the most straightforward option on the market: Spurs have already opened the door to a loan with a right to buy, making him financially accessible within Juventus’s constraints, and his strong desire to work in Italy’s top flight means personal terms should not be a complication.
Spalletti’s reservations about Vicario’s level are known — but they are not insurmountable. If Napoli move decisively for him before Juventus, the decision will be forced. If they do not, he remains the cleanest and quickest available solution should the Martínez negotiations ultimately fail to deliver.
All roads, as Tuttosport notes with precision, lead from the same direction: across the English Channel. The goalkeeper question that has dominated Juventus’s summer is reaching its moment of resolution — one way or another, in the days ahead.
