Tottenham Target Emi Martinez Following Vicario's Exit
Tottenham’s summer rebuild has taken another sharp turn in goal – and it now points straight at Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.
With Guglielmo Vicario heading to Juventus, Spurs have moved quickly to identify a replacement, and Football Insider report that the north London club have “made a move” for the Villa and Argentina No.1, whose own proposed switch to Juve recently fell apart.
Vicario out, Juventus in
The dominoes started to fall on Monday. Fabrizio Romano confirmed on X that Juventus had struck a deal with Tottenham for Vicario, with Spurs accepting a loan offer that includes a non-mandatory option to buy.
“Vicario wanted the move,” Romano reported, with the Italian set to leave Tottenham immediately to become Juve’s new goalkeeper.
David Ornstein backed that up, adding that all parties expect the transfer to go through, with Juventus taking the 29-year-old Italy international on loan with an option to buy next summer. Crucially, Ornstein noted that Juve pushed ahead for Vicario after calling off their pursuit of Martinez.
That decision has opened a door for Spurs.
Spurs’ aggressive rebuild continues
Tottenham, who survived relegation only on the final day of last season, have been one of the busiest clubs in the 2026 summer window. The board’s response to that brush with disaster has been blunt: overhaul the squad and arm Roberto De Zerbi.
So far, Spurs have brought in:
- Andy Robertson (free, Liverpool)
- Marcos Senesi (free, Bournemouth)
- Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m, Brighton)
- Martin Dubravka (free, Burnley)
- Mateus Fernandes (£85m, West Ham)
- Sandro Tonali (£92.5m, Newcastle United)
Big money, big names, and a clear message that last season’s struggles will not be tolerated again.
Despite already adding Dubravka and having Antonin Kinsky on the books, De Zerbi wants a top-level No.1. That has led Tottenham to Martinez.
Villa open the door for Martinez exit
According to Football Insider, Spurs are now exploring a deal for the 33-year-old World Cup winner, with Aston Villa understood to be open to a sale this summer.
The timing is no coincidence. Villa have sealed a deal for Zion Suzuki from Parma, and the same report claims the Japan international is expected to come straight into the starting XI for the 2026-27 campaign.
If Suzuki steps in as first choice, Martinez becomes movable. And that is where Tottenham see their chance, with the keeper now “set for a move across the Premier League” if terms can be agreed.
For De Zerbi, a vocal, experienced, high-profile goalkeeper would fit the new, hardened spine Spurs are trying to build.
De Zerbi stalls Moore loan as he waits for firepower
The shake-up is not limited to the back line. Out wide, there’s another decision on hold.
Young winger Mikey Moore, who spent last season on loan at Rangers, is close to another temporary switch, this time to Cologne. BILD Rhineland, via Sport Witness, report that the Bundesliga side are on the verge of securing a season-long loan.
But there is a catch. De Zerbi is currently blocking the move.
The head coach wants attacking reinforcements through the door before he signs off on Moore’s departure, wary of leaving his squad light in forward areas at the start of a crucial season.
Cologne are said to be relaxed about the delay, with confidence that the deal will still be completed later in the window.
Tottenham, then, stand at a decisive point: a World Cup-winning goalkeeper potentially coming in, a young winger’s future paused, and a squad being rebuilt at speed after a year spent staring over the edge. The question now is whether these bold moves are enough to drag Spurs from survival mode into something far more ambitious.
