Aston Villa getting closer to signing player who turned down Man Utd after deal didn’t work out
Aston Villa is reportedly close to signing Japan’s goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma—several years after he decided not to join Manchester United.
Suzuki, 25, was one of the standout goalkeepers at the 2026 World Cup, helping Japan reach the round of 32 before a close 2-1 loss to Brazil. He was expected to join Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain for €35 million, and Leeds showed interest earlier this summer before signing James Trafford from Manchester City.
But according to RMC Sport, changes in the agent’s commission stopped the PSG deal from going through. Journalist Loic Tanzi suggests the real reason might be that Suzuki prefers a move to Aston Villa instead.
Villa’s interest seems to have popped up recently, especially with questions around their current keeper Emiliano Martinez. The Athletic reported that Juventus has made a new offer for Martinez. Meanwhile, it looks like Manchester United, who have been linked with both goalkeepers before, are not interested this time.
United did make some early moves this summer by signing midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa for over £70 million combined. But their activity has slowed recently. New permanent boss Michael Carrick told reporters he wants more signings.
United’s interest in Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni—a move that didn’t happen after he signed a new long-term contract—shows they want to sign another midfielder. They’re also looking to strengthen their left-back and center-back positions.
Goalkeeping isn’t seen as one of their needs since they recently signed Karl Darlow for free after his contract at Leeds expired. Darlow will join veterans Tom Heaton and Senne Lammens, while Radek Vitek moved on to Middlesbrough for an initial fee of £7 million plus add-ons.
United have missed out on Suzuki before. Back in 2023, they wanted him to be Andre Onana’s backup. At that time, Suzuki was playing for Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan and was in high demand after helping them win the 2022 AFC Champions League. But instead of moving to Old Trafford, he chose to join Belgium’s Sint-Truiden first—initially on loan before making it permanent in 2024—and then moved to Italy later that year.
His career choices have worked out well. Suzuki is now considered one of the world’s top goalkeepers.
In a 2023 interview with GOAL, Suzuki explained why he turned down Manchester United. He said he wanted to take a step that would help him become the best in the world. He knew United had signed Onana and felt it was important to play regularly and on the world stage. He wants to be one of the first Japanese goalkeepers to play in the Premier League and is ready for the challenge.
Now, three years later, it looks like Suzuki’s dream is about to come true with Aston Villa.