Man Utd ‘keeping a close eye’ on Aston Villa star after failed summer transfer

Emiliano Martinez to Manchester United remains one to watch, with the Aston Villa goalkeeper also attracting interest from Inter, according to reports.

Martinez was expected to leave Villa last summer, waving an emotional goodbye to the club’s supporters in their final home match of 2024/25, but stayed put after failing to secure a move .

Here’s how Emiliano Martinez compares to Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 2025/26 Premier League:

United were expected to move for the Argentina international, who was holding out for a switch to Old Trafford amid interest from the Saudi Pro League.

The Red Devils opted against signing the 33-year-old, instead bringing in 23-year-old Senne Lammens .

Lammens has been a solid addition, adding calm to a United backline that had endured Andre Onana for two seasons.

Martinez, meanwhile, has kept his place in the Villa goal and hasn’t really improved on his 2024/25 form, making more errors leading to a goal than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this campaign (3) .

He is also not in the top eight for clean sheets, nor the top 10 for saves. Martinez is, at least, one of seven goalkeepers to have saved a penalty in the 2025/26 Premier League and boasts the second-best save percentage (74.6%).

Despite Martinez’s uninspiring form and the recent signing of Lammens, Football Insider claims United are ‘keeping a close eye’ on the former Arsenal shot-stopper.

More specifically, ex-United chief scout Mick Brown says the Red Devils are still looking to strengthen in goal and have Martinez on their shortlist, with Villa likely to cash in this summer amid interest from Serie A giants Inter.

“Martinez will definitely be one to watch for Man United ,” Brown told Football Insider .

“Lammens has done well since coming in — I think he’s looked solid and reliable — but they could do with a real top-class goalkeeper.

“Martinez certainly fits that bill. I think he’s still one of the best in the world when he’s at the top of his game and he would certainly be an improvement.

“So if Villa are willing to let him go, they’d be silly not to consider it at least. They wanted him in the summer and nothing has changed since then.

“If he’s available and the price isn’t too much for them to afford, I would be surprised if they didn’t make a move.”

Martinez would add winning pedigree to a squad full of, let’s face it, losers.

United need something a bit different. He has an elite mentality, is a leader and a World Cup winner.

But is he a big enough upgrade on Lammens to justify paying a minimum £20million for him? No.

As underlined by the aforementioned statistic, he is error-prone and United have just replaced a dodgy goalkeeper with a solid, young option.

It feels like the ship has sailed on Martinez to Manchester United , who have bigger transfer priorities than the goalkeeper position these days.