Emiliano Martinez has spoken out on his future at Aston Villa – claiming he wants to stay despite reported interest from Tottenham and Juventus.
The Argentina goalkeeper won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was awarded the Golden Glove for his starring role at the tournament.
Martinez, 30, is said to be attracting the interest from Spurs, who are keen to find a long-term replacement for veteran captain Hugo Lloris, Italian side Juventus, and German giants Bayern Munich.
And when Villa manager Unai Emery criticised the 6ft 5ins stopper last month for his performance against former side Arsenal, there was speculation he could leave amid his desire to play Champions League football.
But Martinez insists he ‘loves’ being at the Midlands side and wants to carry on there for the foreseeable future.
Speaking after keeping a clean sheet in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Bournemouth, he said: ‘It’s a great feeling. If we had won 3-1, I would go home and not be able to sleep for hours because I always think about what I could have done better to keep the clean sheet.
‘I’m very ambitious, I’m so driven to improve. I try to transmit that to the back four and to the starting XI.
‘My career went through the roof since I joined the club. I’ve always said I’m grateful to this club and I love being here.
‘My family is happy at the club, my boy is obsessed with playing football and he plays for the Under-6s in the Academy. We’re loving our time here and hopefully there are many years to come.’
In December, Martinez’ agent Gustavo Goni admitted his client was targeting regular football in the top European competition.
When asked about his player moving to Italy, he said: ‘Today there are few teams that can afford a goalkeeper like him.
‘But Serie A, well, why not?
‘Clearly aiming high, for the Champions League.’