Emiliano Martinez agreed to personal terms with Manchester United before the transfer deadline, but Reuben Amorim’s side chose to instead pursue a £18.2 million deal for Senne Ranmen.
Emiliano Martinez’s family came out after the Aston Villa goalkeeper missed a deadline transfer to Manchester United. Martinez, 33, was the target of the Red Devils who wanted to sign a new goalkeeper before the summer transfer period ended on Monday.
However, United also put Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens on the radar, sparking internal debate about which shot stopper to pursue. Ultimately, Reuben Amorim’s side pressed him to reach an agreement with Antwerp, signing the 23-year-old Ranmen with their first £18.2 million and £3.5 million add-ons.
That was despite Martinez agreeing to personal terms with the Red Devils and waiting for a call he had never come before, despite waiting at the villa training ground on Monday. It has also been reported that the former Arsenal star has asked United defender and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez to assure him.
However, Martinez, who lost Villa’s 3-0 to Crystal Palace during the deadline, remains part of the UNAI Emery team and is on a contract until 2029. His length of the deal and reputation as a World Cup winner is why the Villa Park Chiefs demanded more than what they paid for Lamens.
Martinez’s brother Alejandro and his father, Alberto, discussed the “conflict” that led to the failure of the move. “Emi gave a lot as an expert and was told that as a person they loved him. You could see it on the pitch,” Alejandro told DSports Radio.
read more: Man UTD star shares true feelings at the exit of Rasmus Hojlund: “Shock”read more: Eric Tenhug plundered by Bayer Leverkusen for five reasons, as the incredible payoffs emerge
“He’s liked and the manager didn’t want to sell him because he was a key player on the team and another team wanted him. It was a commercial controversy.
“These are decisions by club officials. It didn’t happen, but it’s like everything else in the business. The sports side of things is then removed and everything is fine.”
His brother also dispelled the suggestion that Martinez had dropped out with Emery. “Emi had never had an argument with Unai,” Alejandro continued. “It was all under management control and the club couldn’t agree.
Should Manchester United sign Emiliano Martinez? Please speak in the comments section.
“At Aston Villa, he is Diego (Maradona) of Naples. He gave much in the villa, as Leo (Messi) did at Barca, as did Kun (Aguero).
Papa Alberto added: “This is a job, it’s a factory, the factory has employees. He’s just an employee, the factory won’t let go if he’s good. It’s all business. It didn’t happen tomorrow.”
Martinez is currently with the Argentine team and maintains a clean sheet in Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela. After a trip to Ecuador for the final World Cup qualifiers, he returns to Birmingham and prepares for his next Villa Everton trip next Saturday.
Join our new Man UTD WhatsApp community and receive a daily amount of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat community members with special offers, promotions and advertising. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, you can read the privacy notice.
Sky Sports Discount Premier League and EFL Packages
£43
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has cut the prices of Essential TV and Sky Sports bundles ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering over 1,400 live matches in the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, showing an even greater increase of up to 100.
