​Aston Villa Are Interested In €35m Shot-Stopper: Why They Must Guarantee Him A Starting Spot?Aston Villa have put Parma shot-stopper Zion Suzuki right at the top of their summer wishlist as noise around Emiliano Martinez’s future refuses to go away.Aston Villa: Emery targets Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to replace Emiliano MartinezVilla Park bigwigs have had to step up their contingency plans behind the scenes. Martinez is actively considering a return to Italy, and Villa are not sitting on their hands. Luckily for Emery, Parma chiefs have already admitted the 23-year-old Japan international has zero interest in staying in Serie A. He wants a move abroad. Villa hold a massive ace up their sleeve here, too. Fresh off lifting the Europa League trophy, they can offer shiny Champions League football next term. That kind of pull makes a huge difference at the negotiating table.Suzuki isn’t just a random name plucked out of a hat. The lad has been brilliant in Italy. Across 20 Serie A appearances for Parma during a somewhat stop-start 2025/26 campaign, he racked up 62 saves and five clean sheets over 1,800 minutes of football, all while battling through a nagging hand injury.Then came the 2026 World Cup. Suzuki cemented his spot as Japan’s undisputed number one, turning in a string of sensational displays before their Round of 32 heartbreak against Brazil with four starts, 15 saves, and a reputation that blew wide open on the global stage.Naturally, a €35 million transfer scrap has broken out. Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are already in deep conversations with Parma. Yet, Villa remain right in the mix, backing themselves to win the race.T4O view: Aston Villa must hold fire unless Martinez departsARLINGTON, TEXAS – JUNE 25: Zion Suzuki #1 of Japan acknowledges fans after the 1-1 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Japan and Sweden at Dallas Stadium on June 25, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)Here is the cold, hard truth. Splashing €35m on Suzuki only makes sense if Juventus actually manage to lure Martinez away to Turin.Why blow that kind of cash on a backup? It makes no sense. Remember when Leeds United tried to sign Suzuki a while back? He turned them down flat because he flatly refuses to sit on a bench twiddling his thumbs. He wants to play every single week. Buying an ambitious, hungry young starter just to sit him behind Martinez is a complete waste of money.Why Aston Villa must guarantee starting spot for SuzukiIf Dibu packs his bags for Italy, Suzuki is an absolute no-brainer for Emery. Being six-foot-three tall, he is a proper presence between the sticks. He doesn’t panic when pressed, spreads play cleanly from the back, and comes out to claim high balls without flinching.You cannot bring him in as a squad player, though. You sign Suzuki, you hand him the gloves on day one. Premier League football is a brutal beast. Crosses fly in from everywhere, the tempo is frantic, and