Aston Villa table £15m bid for Arsenal goalkeeper Martinez

A Villa source has told Football Insider that a fresh offer has gone in for Martinez

Arsenal want £20m for Martinez, who impressed during a run as number one in the last five weeks of last season when Bernd Leno was out injured.

Manager Dean Smith is in the market for another keeper as Tom Heaton continues his recovery from a knee injury that has sidelined him since the turn of the year.

Martinez tops the Midlands giants’ shortlist but they have back-up options in case the deal does not fall in place.

The goalkeeper has gone public to claim he will leave Emirates Stadium if he does not get the regular game time he feels he deserves after proving himself last season.

The Argentine stepped in when Leno broke down in June and started the last eight Premier League matches of 2019-20 as well as played a key role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph.

Martinez made 23 appearances for the Gunners last season and his future could hinge on who Mikel Arteta selects to start in goal in Saturday’s opener against Fulham.

Martinez does not have extensive first-team experience despite his age after spending much of his career as a back-up keeper in his nine years at Arsenal.

But he has had spells on loan at Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday, Getafe, Reading, Rotherham United and Oxford United.

In other news, Aston Villa have been tipped by Whelan to sign English ace after big Sky reveal.