Saturday morning brought the possibility that Juventus could very well end up with the goalkeeper that they had pursued for the vast majority of the summer mercato.
Before the day was done, that hope a deal could get done for Emi Martinez had essentially disappeared.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Jacob Tanswell as well as IlBianconero’s Romeo Agresti, Juventus’ pursuit of Martinez was essentially a done deal — and not in a good kind of way if you were hoping the World Cup-winning goalkeeper was going to be in Turin come the end of the month. Earlier in the day, Ornstein and others reported that Juventus had submitted a new offer for Martinez that could worth as much as €10 million. That came after momentum picked up regarding Juve circling back to Martinez with Aston Villa agreeing to a deal for Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki earlier in the day.
However, as Ornstein posted on social media on Sunday night, it is Juventus that is choosing not to proceed on the deal.
Juventus had previously agreed to personal terms with Martinez back in early June.
As you might imagine the rumors of Juve trying to sign somebody like Guglielmo Vicario on loan (with a potential option to buy) will pick up steam — which is something Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio once again said is “heating up” on Sunday night.
🚨 Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa to Juventus off. Talks reduced price gap & personal terms for 33yo goalkeeper no issue but #Juve not proceeding on deal. #AVFC will try to find solution but either way Zion Suzuki new No1. W/ @J_Tanswell@TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/s74ggNpzQN
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 16, 2026As reports of Juventus’ latest bid for Martinez surfaced earlier in the day, they also came with the caveat: the club is very much worried about the status of the Argentine goalkeeper’s broken finger that he sustained before the Europa League final and dealt with all throughout the World Cup. And because of that fact very much lingering out there — and any potential surgeries that might come with it — and the simple investment for a player of his age and the salary that he demanded, it looks like Juventus’ front office has decided that all of those factors hanging over the deal are just too much to deem worthy of a good amount of money to invest.
That means that we’re looking at the distinct possibility of Vicario coming to Juventus now.
The same Vicario who had the same kind of issues as Michele Di Gregorio last season. And just like with Di Gregorio, who knows if a new season will bring the same problems or if starting anew will mean a fresh start mentally and then everything improves from there.
But, unlike a few hours ago when it looked like Juve had a legit chance to bring a World Cup-winning goalkeeper in this summer, that his all disappeared now. The goalkeeper drama rolls on — and the 2026-27 season hasn’t even started yet, folks.
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