Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown has confirmed that the Red Devils are interested in Chelsea target Emiliano Martinez. He admitted that it was not going to be an easy task as they needed to offload Andre Onana before making the move.
Brown said to Football Inside that Manchester United would jump at the chance of swapping Onana and Martinez, but does not see it happening. He believes that the club are ready to cut their losses on the former Ajax goalkeeper and said:
"Man United have made it clear they would like to sign Martinez. They'll take whatever they can get for Onana, and then they'll make contact with Aston Villa and see if they can get a deal over the line. He's seen as a huge upgrade on Onana so they're prepared to take a hit to get things moving."
"If Man United could swap Onana for Martinez tomorrow, they'd jump at it. Martinez is in his 30s now, but he's a very capable goalkeeper and they're not concerned about that. The only issue, as things stand, is that they need to move Onana away before they go for Martinez because they don't want to end up with both on the books. They're waiting for a bid to arrive so that they can accelerate things and start speaking to Villa. For now, it's just what they would like to do, not something they're able to do."
Chelsea are reportedly in talks with Aston Villa for Emiliano Martinez this summer. The Blues had made a move for Mike Maignan but failed to agree on a deal with AC Milan.
Manchester United legend compared Chelsea target to Peter Schmeichel
Lee Sharpe was talking to AceOdds earlier this month and compared Emiliano Martinez to Peter Schmeichel. He claimed that the Chelsea target can win 10 to 12 points in a season and help them get back to their best. He said:
"United have been linked with Emi Martinez and I don't think there's a club in the world that wouldn't take Martinez. I think his attitude and charisma is great and he spreads that to his back four. He's like Schmeichel. He makes saves he shouldn't pull off and he'll earn a team 10-12 points a season."
Aston Villa have quoted a Β£45 million asking price for Martinez this summer. Barcelona and Saudi Pro League sides were also said to be interested in signing the Manchester United target this summer.