Barcelona want World Cup-winning goalkeeper — Man United also interested

When a team is operating almost perfectly, changes might not be necessary. Still, sometimes you need to refuel. That’s how Hansi Flick sees things after a treble-winning debut season on the Barcelona bench, and he’s looking to refresh his squad during the summer transfer window. The new Spanish champions are targeting a winger—and also a new goalkeeper.

While several names are being mentioned for the attack, a serious candidate has emerged for the goalkeeper position: Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine waved an emotional farewell to Aston Villa fans after their recent win over Tottenham, suggesting his time in Birmingham may be over.

Reports in Argentina claim he is on Barcelona’s radar, a story also confirmed by Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo, which states that sporting director Deco and coach Flick are in search of a reliable keeper. There are doubts over how well Marc-Andre ter Stegen will recover from injury, and his current backup, Wojciech Szczesny, is reportedly waiting on his wife's advice before deciding whether to accept a new two-year contract or return to retirement, which he came out of only after Ter Stegen's long-term injury. Inaki Pena isn’t seriously considered and doesn’t want to be a third-choice option, so he may also leave.

That leaves the door wide open for a new goalkeeper—and that’s where Martinez comes in. There’s no clear information yet on how much the World Cup winner would cost Barca, but he did extend his contract with Aston Villa last summer through 2029, meaning the English club will likely demand a significant fee.

Martinez is certainly a more solid option than others recently linked with Barca—like Espanyol’s Joan Garcia, Porto’s Diogo Costa, or Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen.

There are also rumors that Martinez is being tracked by Manchester United due to Andre Onana’s inconsistency, but at this point, it seems like every half-decent footballer is being linked to the Red Devils.