Aston Villa have increased their efforts to sign Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, with growing uncertainty surrounding the future of Emiliano Martinez.
Unai Emery’s side regard Suzuki as their main candidate to replace the Argentina international if Martinez leaves the club for Serie A. The Japan goalkeeper has emerged as Villa’s preferred option after several months of monitoring by the Premier League club.
Suzuki, who is 23, joined Parma in 2024 and played 22 times last season. He kept six clean sheets during that campaign, strengthening his reputation as one of the goalkeepers Villa are considering for the next stage of their squad planning.
The Parma goalkeeper also started all four of Japan’s matches at this summer’s World Cup. Japan’s run ended in the last 32 with defeat by Brazil.
Villa had previously looked at Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser, but Suzuki has moved ahead of the Frenchman on their shortlist. His physical attributes and ability to distribute the ball from the back are understood to have been important factors in that change of preference.
The possibility of Suzuki moving to Villa Park has also been helped by the collapse of a proposed agreement with PSG. The French club had reached a €35m arrangement for the goalkeeper and had organised a medical for him in Paris, but the deal was abandoned after complications involving commissions and terms agreed with his representatives.
That development has left Suzuki’s future open, while Villa continue to assess their goalkeeping options amid doubts over Martinez. The club’s interest in the Japan international is therefore linked directly to the possibility of the Argentine departing for Serie A.
Suzuki’s standing at Villa has risen as the club have compared the qualities of their potential targets. Although Risser had previously been under consideration, Villa now see Suzuki as the strongest fit among the goalkeepers identified by Emery and his recruitment team.
No move has been confirmed, and Suzuki remains a Parma player. However, Villa’s pursuit has become more prominent as the uncertainty over Martinez’s position continues.
The situation leaves Villa preparing for the possibility that they may need a new first-choice goalkeeper, with Suzuki now their leading target. Their interest follows the failed PSG agreement and comes after the Japanese international’s full involvement in his country’s World Cup campaign.
For now, the next step depends on Martinez’s future and whether the Argentina international remains at Villa or makes a move to Serie A. Should he leave, Suzuki is the goalkeeper Villa have placed at the top of their list to replace him.
