Aston Villa appear to be making moves to replace Emi Martinez this summer.
The 32-year-old is a two-time Best FIFA Mens Goalkeeper Award winner and has been a key reason behind the Villans rise to the upper echelons of English football in recent years.
However, the club now appears to be gearing up for life beyond Martinez.
Aston Villa located Emi Martinez replacement amid mooted Saudi interest
A recent report from the Telegraph has revealed that the World Cup winner ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now may also have future plans of his own.
The newspaper states that Martinez, along with winger Leon Bailey, are attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League.
That comes at the same time as a report from Spanish outlet Marca, revealing Villa as a side strongly linked to highly-sought Espanyol gloveman Joan Garcia.
The two stories together paint a picture of a changing of the guard between the sticks at Villa Park, despite Martinezs position seeming relatively concrete to this point.
Garcia has a release clause of 25m, which could rise to 30m if hes called up by Spain, but Marca revealed a tricky financial picture could lead to accepting a lower figure for a quick and guaranteed sale.
Villa will not have a clear path to concluding a move for Garcia, however, with reports crediting the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester United with an interest.
In FourFourTwos opinion, while there is no doubting Martinezs impact in the Midlands and for his country, there have been some creeping doubts around recent performances.
Questions were asked in performances to forget against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League; critical junctions in Villas season, if theyre to establish themselves at the top level.
While Martinez who is known as one of football's most eccentric characters hasnt had the sort of drop-off to provoke panic just yet, the fact that Villa appear to be making moves to refresh the position shows the clinical, if slightly brutal, edge theyll need to maintain their current progress under Unai Emery.
Garcia is valued at 20m according to Transfermarkt. Aston Villa next face Fulham when Premier League action returns this weekend.
TOPICS
