Chelsea sign goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa for £7.5m

Chelsea have signed Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa for £7.5m - the eighth deal between the two clubs in the past four years.

The 33-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2022, has moved to Stamford Bridge on a three-year deal.

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Martinez joined Villa in 2020 and made 256 appearances, helping the club win the Europa League last season.

"I'm delighted to be at this football club," Martinez said.

"Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I'm just over the moon - I can't wait to get started.

'I want to be successful here. I'm someone who wants to win at everything I do and I want to bring that here to this football club because it's a football club that wins titles, so I think it's a good match."

Martinez's move to Chelsea comes after Nicolas Jackson's transfer the other way last week.

No two Premier League clubs have exchanged more players, on permanent or loan deals, in the past four years.

The relationship began after Chelsea's owners, BlueCo, took control of the club in 2022 and signed Carney Chukwuemeka from Villa for £20m that summer. Ian Maatsen (£37.5m, to Villa), Omari Kellyman (£19m, to Chelsea) and Axel Disasi (a £5m loan deal, to Villa) subsequently moved between the clubs.

This summer alone has brought four more deals. Morgan Rogers completed a £117m move Chelsea, while Alejandro Garnacho joined Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy in a deal worth around £43m.

Jackson then moved to Villa for £65m, before Martinez followed.

Since 2022, Chelsea have paid Aston Villa £163.5m for players. Villa have spent £102.5m on Chelsea players including Axel Disasi's loan fee. That figure could rise to £150.5m should certain criteria be met to make Garnacho's loan move permanent. Chelsea believe the terms are easily reachable.

There are broader reasons why domestic transfers remain attractive, but money is often the biggest factor.

Premier League clubs generally have greater spending power than most teams elsewhere in Europe, meaning another English side may be among the few buyers capable of meeting the fee and wage demands of a selling club.

That can make domestic deals particularly attractive when clubs are trying to move on high-value players. Signing from within the league also reduces some of the uncertainty, with recruitment teams already familiar with a player's qualities and performances.

Yet even in a league where domestic trading is commonplace, the frequency of deals between Villa and Chelsea stands out.