Emiliano Martinez’s age is the deciding factor for Inter Milan, who have the Aston Villa star on their list but nothing more.
That’s according to Calciomercato.it. They also dismiss Inter’s potential interest in Martinez today amid reports of a meeting with his agents.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper was linked with a move to the Italian side this week. They’re set to replace Yann Sommer in the summer and appear to be drawing up a list of replacements for when that happens.
Martinez was named as a target. The Italians had reportedly opened initial conversations. Martinez’s agents were then spotted in Milan, adding to the rumours.
The reports were then dismissed outright. It was made clear in those reports that Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was the number one target.
CM.it back that up. They report that while there have been discussions about Martinez, it’s nothing more than that. That’s because of the finances involved, primarily. Aston Villa want €10-15m for the Argentine, and his contract would cost around €4m a year net.
Inter are also wary because Martinez is 34 and the club’s ownership have ordered a focus on players under 30-years-old in future. Thus, the Aston Villa man is not at the top of the list.
The top target is instead Tottenham’s Vicario. He’d cost €25m but is younger, and a previous target. Inter wanted him before he joined Tottenham.
Baulked at the cost of deal
FC Inter News add to that. They report that Inter also like Vicario because he’s in the Italian national team. According to them, talks are ongoing and could become more serious in the coming weeks.
To sum up, it appears Inter explored the idea of signing Martinez but have now baulked at the prices involved. They were perhaps thinking he could be available on a free, or at least cheaply. That’s something Aston Villa aren’t contemplating given his current deal expires in 2029.
If they are to spend, they would seemingly prefer to spend it on someone like Vicario at Tottenham.
