Aston Villa ‘finalise agreement’ to land Netherlands international with over 100 Ligue 1 appearances
Aston Villa are aiming to get their second signing of the summer over the line
Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of veteran Marco Bizot from French side Stade Brest.
The Athletic reports that Unai Emery’s side are ‘finalising an agreement’ with the 34-year-old goalkeeper, who was once capped for Netherlands at senior international level back in 2020.
The reports explains that Villa are hopeful of signing Bizot on a cut-price fee which will see him emerge as a direct replacement for Robin Olsen, who played his final match for the Lions during a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on the final day of the season.
Villa have so far been fairly subdued on the transfer front as they tread careful to avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR) but have splashed out £7m on Yasin Oscan, a rising teenage centre back from Turkish side Kasimpasa.
Aston Villa close in on Marco Bizot signing
Marco Bizot is expected to join Aston Villa this summer to provide competition to first choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez over another long and challenging season which features a bare minimum of 48 matches.Bizot is regarded as a reliable goalkeeper by Villa chiefs, who have kept tabs on his availability throughout the summer following the departure of Robin Olsen.
The Stade Brest shot-stopper made 41 appearances across all competitions last season, including nine in the Champions League as his side fell short in the round-of-16 play-off clash with eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
He conceded 68 times in total across those appearances but did manage to get 12 clean sheets in those matches as the team finished in ninth position, six places lower than the previous campaign.
Bizot has made a combined total of 148 appearances for Brest since arriving in 2021, having previously played for the likes of AZ Alkmaar, Genk, Groningen, Cambuur and Ajax where he came through the academy.
He’s been first choice throughout almost all of his senior career leading up to this point and has been in a number of Netherlands squads over the years, with his only cap coming in a 1-1 against Spain in November 2020.
What does the future hold for Emi Martinez?
Throughout the final weeks of the season it was heavily speculated that Argentine international Emi Martinez would leave Aston Villa at the end of the season after five incredible years in the West Midlands.
The 2022 World Cup winner was seen leaving the Villa Park pitch in tears after a victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the penultimate game of the season and was touted as a potential target for Manchester United amid Villa’s PSR issues.
The Athletic understands Red Devils chiefs have held talks with Martinez over a potential transfer.However, no offers have been made to Villa and Martinez is expected to return for pre-season in the next week.
Ironically, Martinez was sent off against United at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, with the incident being slightly overshadowed by Morgan Rogers’ controversial disallowed goal.
This suspension means Martinez will miss the opening game of the season at home to Newcastle United if he’s still on the books and means that Marco Bizot if negotiations go to plan will make his debut against Eddie Howe’s side.