Business & Finance

Chelsea sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for £7.5m

The deal marks the eighth transfer between the two Premier League clubs in four years, amid scrutiny over trading volume.

Updated Aug 30, 2026 · 09:17 UTC1 reports

The short version

Chelsea have completed the transfer of 33-year-old goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa for £7.5m on a three-year contract.
The transaction is the eighth player deal between the two clubs since 2022, tying Chelsea and Brighton for the most frequent Premier League club trading relationship during that period.
Rival club executives have raised questions about the volume of transactions between Chelsea and Villa as both clubs manage domestic and European financial regulations, though no rules have been reported broken.

Chelsea acquired Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for £7.5m on a three-year contract.[BBC News]
The transfer is the eighth deal between Chelsea and Aston Villa over the past four years, matching Chelsea's trade frequency with Brighton for the most between top-flight English clubs since 2022.[BBC News]
Since 2022, Chelsea have spent £163.5m on Aston Villa players, while Villa have spent £102.5m on Chelsea players.[BBC News]
This summer's business between the two teams included permanent moves for Morgan Rogers (£117m) and Nicolas Jackson (£65m), along with Alejandro Garnacho's loan move to Villa.[BBC News]
Multiple rival Premier League executives have questioned the frequency of transfers between the two sides, though there is no indication that any regulations were breached.[BBC News]

It is unknown whether Villa's spending on Chelsea players will increase to £150.5m, as Alejandro Garnacho's conditional obligation to buy depends on specific future criteria.[BBC News]