The bargain Aston Villa £9m release clause deal that could kick off transfer window in style
Aston Villa could look for a new goalkeeper in the transfer window - with a Bundesliga star seemingly in their sights.
Go back a year, and quite a few pundits were wondering whether it was high time that Aston Villa moved on from Emiliano Martínez. The two-time Yashin Trophy winner may have established himself as one of the world’s best, but an alarming dip in form suggested that he might be past his best. Judging by recent reports, it’s an idea that may still be on Villa’s minds.
Martínez enjoyed a much-improved 2025/26 season, his wobbles from the previous campaign largely put behind him. He’s still only 33 and has three years left on his contract. But despite that, Villa are being linked with a bid for one of the most in-form goalkeepers in Germany – but if they want to get a deal done, they may have to make a decision quickly.
The German goalkeeper linked with a transfer to Aston Villa
According to German outlet Bild, via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are interested in striking a deal for Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas off the back of a highly impressive year in the Bundesliga.
The wheels of a deal could be greased by the fact that the 28-year-old reportedly has a €10m (£8.6m) release clause baked into his contract – but that clause only stands until June, and while a precise date for its expiry is not revealed by the reporting, it’s suggested that a deal would have to be wrapped up before the World Cup, which starts in a little over a week.
That gives Aston Villa a very short window in which to acquire Nicolas at a reduced price which would bely the level of his performances over the past season. Mönchengladbach, for their part, are said to be happy to allow a sale having already signed a potential replacement in the shape of Mainz’s Daniel Batz – and because they want to boost their spending power for the summer. Should that release clause lapse, however, it’s presumed that they would still demand more than €10m.
It’s not made clear whether Aston Villa have yet decided whether to trigger that clause, or whether they would rather wait and see what kind of price they could get Nicolas for later in the transfer window. There is certainly no suggestion that any negotiations are taking place as yet.
Much will presumably depend on how Villa view Martínez after his recent course correction, but there will also be a debate over whether Nicolas might represent an improvement on the experienced Argentine – and his form suggests at least some cause for optimism on that front.
Why Moritz Nicolas is on Villa’s radar
While Mönchengladbach didn’t enjoy an especially impressive season, Nicolas’ performances were certainly among the highlights of a disappointingly innocuous campaign.
Nicolas’ 136 saves were the most of any goalkeeper in the Bundesliga, while his 73.9% save percentage and the 13 clean sheets he kept put him second only to Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. Crucially, the xG model suggests that he also prevented a massive 9.75 goals more than the average stopper would be expected to – a huge number, well over double the mark set by Martínez in a perfectly good season.
That speaks to Nicolas’ shot-stopping qualities and represented continuity after another excellent season in 2024/25. His work dealing with high balls is also rock solid and he’s comfortable coming out of his area to handle direct balls over the top, too.
The only strike against Nicolas is his distribution, which is average by the standards of the elite game, and he lacks the skill with his feet to make him a legitimately effective sweeper-keeper. The extent to which that would concern Unai Emery may be a key factor in Aston Villa’s looming decision.
Martínez probably did more than enough in the 2025/26 season to justify continued faith in his position as number one, even if his form before that raised understandable alarm bells – but whether Villa agree remains to be seen, and a move for a potential replacement such as Nicolas may not come as a complete surprise.