Emiliano Martinez struggled to hold back the tears after Aston Villa's final home match of the season against Tottenham on Friday night
Aston Villa will target Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia if Emiliano Martinez decides to move onto pastures new this summer. The World Cup winner cut an emotional figure on Friday night after Villa beat Tottenham 2-0 in their final home game of the season - suggesting he feels him time at the club could be up.
However, ambitious Villa do not want to sell Martinez, who signed a new bumper contract extension last year which will run until 2029, and are still hopeful of keeping him. Champions League qualification would certainly bolster their chances of that but Premier League PSR rules could also yet impact Villa's summer dealings.
Ex-Arsenal shot-stopper Martinez is understood to have received lucrative offers from the Saudi Pro League but he could yet angle to stay in Europe as he wants to compete at the highest level.
Whether Martinez has offers from European clubs remains to be seen at this stage, though reports from Argentina suggest there are already several on the table.
If Unai Emery's side reluctantly sell, Villa are set to throw their hat into the ring for long-standing Arsenal target Garcia, whose current release clause stands at around £21million (€25m).
The 24-year-old Spaniard has been the best goalkeeper in La Liga this season and he could help Espanyol to La Liga safety on Sunday when they travel to Osasuna.
That would be significant because Garcia, also admired by Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle among others, has a relegation clause in his deal which could be worth as little as £12.6m (€15m) according to Spanish sources.
Additionally, Garcia's buy-out clause could rise by around £4.2m if he is called up to the Spain national team squad next month due to a mechanism within his current deal in Catalonia.
Arsenal have been courting the 24-year-old for the past 12 months following a glowing recommendation from goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana. They saw two bids rejected late in last year's summer transfer window as Espanyol continued to point the Gunners towards his release clause.
Now the picture has changed because David Raya is viewed as among the best goalkeepers in world football and while Arsenal do need to replace departing loanee Neto, there are doubts about spending a notable fee on a backup option.
Garcia, who is open to joining the Gunners, also knows he could sign elsewhere and be a No.1 - Villa would be prepared to offer him that if Martinez quits the Midlands club.
Emery said last night when asked whether the Argentina international was heading for the exit door: "We will see. Of course, it is the last match here [this season], and I don't know. We will see about the team, the players, but of course, they are responding on the field."