Aston Villa targets Lens keeper Robin Risser amid Martínez exit

Aston Villa are poised to submit an opening bid for RC Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser as the club prepares for the anticipated departure of veteran Emiliano Martínez. The 21‑year‑old Frenchman, who impressed in Ligue 1 and earned a place as France’s third‑choice keeper for the World Cup, is now on Villa’s radar.

Risser arrived at Lens from RC Strasbourg Alsace after a successful loan spell in Ligue 2 with Red Star. Prior to that he spent a season on loan in the Championnat National with Dijon SCO.

He was one of the standout performers in Lens’s campaign that secured the club’s first Coupe de France triumph. Lens also pushed Paris Saint‑Germain to the brink of the Ligue 1 title, with the championship decided on the penultimate matchday.

His form attracted the attention of national team coach Didier Deschamps, who named him as the third‑choice goalkeeper in France’s World Cup squad. The call‑up highlighted Risser’s rising profile among Premier League observers.

Aston Villa’s scouting department has prepared an offer to test Lens’s valuation of the young keeper. The English club hopes the bid will clarify the French side’s willingness to negotiate.

RC Lens is expected to resist a swift departure, signalling that any transfer will require careful negotiation. Villa’s pursuit therefore marks the first concrete step in reshaping its goalkeeping options after Martínez’s exit.