Chelsea are reportedly set to face competition from one of their London rivals for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Recent reports claimed that the Blues are considering a deal for Argentina and Villa shotstopper Emiliano Martinez in the current transfer window. They are considering replacing their current No. 1, Robert Sanchez, after his error-strewn showing in the Blues’ opening PL game.

Chelsea are not the only club interested, as their London rivals Tottenham are also reportedly exploring a deal for the veteran keeper. According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, the Lilywhites are set to provide competition to the Blues for Martinez’s signing.

Aston Villa are ready to part ways with Emi Martinez as they’ve signed Japanese keeper Zion Suzuki as a replacement for the Argentine veteran. The Villans were ready to sell Martinez to Juventus earlier in the window, but that deal didn’t materialize.

Juventus ended up signing Guglielmo Vicario from Spurs instead, which could point to why Tottenham are interested in signing the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner. Antonin Kinsky is the current No.1 of the Roberto De Zerbi-led side; adding a player with Martinez’s experience could help them out massively.

According to reports, Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Martinez and are currently having internal discussions over the potential deal. Martinez is reportedly open to joining the Blues despite their lack of European football this season.

Pundits like Gary Neville have asked the Blues to go ahead and replace their current No. 1, Robert Sanchez, with a player like Emiliano Martinez to help new manager Xabi Alonso achieve his targets with the squad this season.

Chelsea are set to play Luton Town on Thursday (August 27) in the second round of the EFL Cup. Alonso could consider using Mike Penders ahead of Robert Sanchez in the Cup clash, as the Spanish tactician suggested (via football.london) the Belgian keeper will have an opportunity.

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso provides Enzo Fernandez update

Speaking ahead of their Cup clash against Luton Town, Alonso responded when asked if Enzo Fernandez would feature for the Blues against the League 1 side. He said:

“Yes, so we expect that he’s involved, he’s trained, he’s training really well, he’s a good professional and he will be involved.”

When asked if he expects Enzo to be a Chelsea player come the end of the transfer window, he said:

“We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities, he has shown it and we have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let’s see how things develop.”