Chelsea are reportedly looking to buy a goalkeeper this summer at Enzo Maresca's request. The Blues are looking to bring in Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa as the replacement for Robert Sanchez.
As per Christian Martin on Infobae, Maresca has picked the Argentine goalkeeper as his preferred choice this summer. The manager believes that the World Cup winner will be the ideal player for his squad.
Formwr Blues midfielder John Obi-Mikel spoke about Sanchez earlier this month and said that the goalkeeper was not the player who would help the club win titles. He added that they needed to bring in a top keeper and said (via BBC):
"I don't think Robert Sanchez is the goalkeeper that can lead Chelsea to winning titles. He is not that guy. They need to bring in a top, top goalkeeper this summer if they want to compete."
Chelsea will face competition from Manchester United for Martinez this summer. Aston Villa are open to selling the goalkeeper and are demanding £40 million for him.
The Blues have four keepers in their squad but are still looking to bring in a top player. Sanchez and Flip Jorgensen are the top two options, while Djorde Petrovic and Mike Penders were sent out on loan.
Petrovic, who spent last season at Strasbourg, has been left out of the FIFA Club World Cup squad after his request. He wanted to be the #1 at the club, but Maresca was unwilling to give him the guarantee.
The UEFA Conference League winners were also in talks with AC Milan earlier this month for Mike Maignan. The San Siro side wanted €30 million (£33.3m) for the Frenchman, but the Blues failed to agree a deal.
Gary Neville slammed Chelsea star Robert Sanchez earlier this year
Gary Neville, on his podcast earlier this year, slammed Robert Sanchez for his error in Chelsea's loss to Manchester City. He claimed that the goalkeeper was out of position and cost Enzo Maresca's side in the match and said (via GOAL):
"We have to talk about the goalkeeper. That wouldn't have been a goal if the goalkeeper isn't about 25 yards off his line at the edge of the box. What is he doing? It's too important a position and I think Chelsea at this point in time are going to have to look at it. He's making far too many errors week in, week out. It was a mini turning point in the game."
The Blues won the UEFA Conference League last season and finished fourth in the Premier League.