Martinez put himself forward to Chelsea after Sanchez blunder against Fulham

A soft shot from Josh King was all it took to reopen a debate that had been dormant for a while at Stamford Bridge. Robert Sanchez's mistake in the 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday put the spotlight back on Chelsea's goalkeeping situation, and this time the solution could come from Birmingham, with a name attached: Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez.

According to a source who spoke with ESPN's Mark Ogden, the Argentine goalkeeper's representatives offered Chelsea the chance to sign him. It's not an isolated rumor: Aston Villa has spent weeks looking for a way to move on from its longtime number one since finalizing the arrival of Japan's Zion Suzuki, whom the club views as its goalkeeper of the future.

The 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina already saw a transfer to Juventus fall through in early August. Since then, his standing at Villa Park has been uncertain: he wasn't even included in the squad for the harsh 4-0 loss to Brighton on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

On the other side, Chelsea is weighing whether to make a move before the transfer window closes. Adding a goalkeeper with Premier League experience and international pedigree makes sense for a team that has title ambitions this season. Dibu was a key figure in Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph and was also between the posts in the final Argentina lost to Spain this summer.

The other name in the mix is Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, 21, who spent last season on loan at Strasbourg and could make his debut this Thursday against Luton in the Carabao Cup. The internal expectation was for Penders to develop gradually and eventually challenge Sanchez for the starting job, but the emergence of a name like Martinez's would change those plans.

Sanchez, in any case, carries a problem that isn't new. Mauricio Pochettino already dropped him in 2024 in favor of Serbia's Djordje Petrovic, and both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior have benched him at different points due to poor form.

Villa, for its part, has strong financial reasons to part ways with Martinez, who arrived from Arsenal for 17 million pounds (23 million dollars) in 2020. The club needs revenue to comply with UEFA and Premier League financial fair play rules, following a summer marked by Morgan Rogers's move to Chelsea for 117 million pounds (159 million dollars), along with the departures of Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne.

Alonso also keeping an eye on Enzo Fernandez

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso confirmed Wednesday that he expects to have Enzo Fernandez available for the match against Luton, despite speculation about possible interest from Manchester City in the Argentine, whom the London club values at 120 million pounds (163 million dollars).

"Yes, we hope he'll be involved. He's training very well and he's a good professional."Xabi Alonso

Asked whether he'd like the 25-year-old midfielder to stay at the club, Alonso was cautious:

"We want to have the best possible team. We know Enzo and his qualities. He's shown that, and we have to wait. We'll think about tomorrow and see how things develop."Xabi Alonso

The manager also gave an update on the injury front: Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra remain sidelined, while Cole Palmer has recovered and is available.