Aston Villa Agree £29.9m Deal With Parma For Zion Suzuki As Juventus Bid For Emiliano Martinez
Aston Villa have agreed a £29.9m (€35m) deal with Parma to sign Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, according to Sky in Italy.
The agreement was struck on the same day Juventus submitted an £8.5m (€10m) bid for current Villa No 1 Emiliano Martinez. The bid falls below Villa's valuation of the Argentina international, but talks between the two clubs are continuing.
Suzuki had been strongly linked with a move to European champions Paris Saint-Germain before that deal hit a snag, a development that gave Villa fresh encouragement to push for the 23 year old. Juventus had also been hoping to take Suzuki on loan from PSG had that move gone through, while pursuing Martinez separately.
Suzuki turns 24 this month. He joined Parma from Urawa Red Diamonds in 2024 following a loan spell in Belgium and has made 57 Serie A appearances over the past two seasons. He is Japan's first-choice goalkeeper and started all four of their matches at this summer's World Cup, where they were eliminated by Brazil in the round of 32. Born in Newark, New Jersey to a Ghanaian father and Japanese mother, he grew up in Japan.
