Juventus have secured Guglielmo Vicario on a season-long loan from Tottenham, with the Italian giants including an £8.5m (€10m) option to purchase the goalkeeper outright at the end of the arrangement.

The deal brings Vicario back to Italy, where he built his reputation before joining Spurs from Empoli in 2023. Sky Sports News had signalled as early as June that his departure from north London was expected, with Antonin Kinsky established as Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper.

The Martinez pursuit that never was

Juventus had spent much of the summer chasing Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, only to walk away after Villa rejected an opening offer of £8.5m. Concerns over Martinez's ongoing finger injury, combined with the club's firm valuation, led Juventus to redirect their attention toward Vicario.

The situation took a further twist when Villa agreed a £29.9m (€35m) deal to sign Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma — a player Juventus had also monitored as a loan option, contingent on him first completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain. That proposed transfer to PSG stalled, opening a window for Villa to swoop.

Martinez's future now uncertain

Villa's pursuit of Suzuki throws Emiliano Martinez's long-term future at the club into genuine question, despite his contract running until 2029. On August 5, a representative of the Argentina World Cup-winning goalkeeper told Sky Sports News that Martinez was content at Villa Park and eager for the new season ahead.

Gustavo Goni of agency Universal TwentyTwo confirmed that Martinez has never pushed for an exit — not during Manchester United's interest last summer, nor amid approaches from Juventus and Inter Milan this window. According to Goni, Martinez will only depart if Aston Villa sanction a move and all parties reach an agreement that suits them.

Analysis: a question of succession

Sky Sports' Patrick Rowe notes that this is not the first summer dominated by Martinez transfer talk. Last year's links to Manchester United came to nothing, and Martinez went on to perform at the highest level — playing through his finger injury as Villa won the UEFA Europa League. Only Gianluigi Donnarumma and Matz Sels recorded a higher save percentage than Martinez's 70.7 percent last season.

By agreeing to spend £29.9m on Suzuki — fending off competition from both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus — Villa appear to be signalling a change of guard in goal. Rowe points out that it is difficult to picture a goalkeeper of Martinez's standing accepting a reduced role, and equally hard to imagine a club investing that sum without guaranteeing first-team football to their new signing.

For six years, Martinez has been a cornerstone of Aston Villa's ambitions — a two-time Yashin Trophy winner whose contributions have been both reliable and, at times, match-defining. Whether he follows the club's apparent change of direction with a move of his own now stands as the defining question of Villa's summer.