Aston Villa anticipated Emi Martinez had a move lined up and were advancing on talks to sign Mark Flekken his replacement | OneFootball

Aston Villa anticipated Emi Martinez had a move lined up earlier in the summer transfer window and were advancing on talks to sign Mark Flekken as his replacement, according to The Athletic.

However, the Villa Park club lost out to Bayer Leverkusen as they ran out of time to complete the deal after the Argentine failed to secure the expected exit.

Martinez remains with Villa after a move to Manchester United on summer transfer deadline day fell through, and he has since been reinstated in the starting XI.

Flekken switched Brentford for the Bundesliga club after 74Premier League appearances, and the Netherlands international would have been a perfect addition to the Villans had he been signed.

Villa manager Unai Emery will not be losing sleep over missing out on him, with Martinez still one of the best goalies in the land.

He has been in goal for three of the five Premier League games, and summer arrival Marco Bizot will continue to provide cover for him going forward.

The Midlands club have started 2025-26 on a disappointing note, with three draws and two defeats in the league to their name.

They have also been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Brentford, and sporting director Monchi is on his way out.

Villa have agreed a deal to appoint Roberto Olabe to replace him, and the owners will hope things can turn around in the coming weeks.

They host Bologna on Thursday in their first game of the Europa League group phase, and Emery could do with a victory ahead of the Premier League game against Fulham on Sunday.

The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) prevented them from splashing the cash in the transfer window, and the onus is on Olabe to sort things out during the January transfer window and ahead of next summer.