Aston Villa ‘putting pressure’ on player to sign for them – Emery will know him well

A few days ago, El Correo, a very reliable local Basque newspaper, reported Inigo Martinez was of interest to Premier League sides, as well as having longstanding interest from Barcelona.

They didn’t name any English clubs in their report.

The 31-year-old moved to Athletic Club Bilbao from Real Sociedad in 2018 and signed a five year contract. That deal expires at the end of the current season, so Martinez will be able to sign with whoever he likes.

Whilst El Correo didn’t name the Premier League sides, Sport have come forward and named Aston Villa.

That could make some sense, given how much experience Unai Emery has in Spanish football. Martinez has been one of the most prominent defenders in La Liga for the past decade so Emery will know the player well.

Aston Villa are said to be ‘putting pressure’ on Martinez to sign for them in the summer, but his priority is to join Barcelona as a free agent.

Given the financial problems at the Camp Nou it’s hard to predict whether they could even sign him as a free agent, and given the central defenders they already have it’s arguable whether they even need him.