Why was Martinez sold to Chelsea 'on the cheap'?

[BBC] The question as to why Aston Villa sold goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez so "cheaply" to Chelsea this summer has been the subject of several questions sent in via our Ask Me Anything form for the West Midlands club. On the face of it a deal worth £7.5m to sell a World Cup winner and Villa's best goalkeeper in the Premier League era does look a steal. But Martinez had been looking to go for the past two summers, Villa had a replacement already in the building in Zion Suzuki and the transfer sagas were getting tiring. Last summer, it was potentially Manchester United and this time it was Juventus - until Chelsea made their move to take him to Stamford Bridge. A parting of the ways was best for both parties and, don't forget, Villa were also looking to reduce the wage bill and the average age of the squad. With Martinez being one of the higher earners and older players it made sense to find a solution for him. Juve could not agree a fee, having tabled fairly low offers, and it looked like Martinez was staying, especially when head of football operations Damian Vidagany said in the summer his future was at Villa Park. Yet Chelsea - and you can find their Ask Me Anything form here - needed another goalkeeper and made their move. The final fee may look low initially but when everything is taken into consideration it was the right deal for everyone. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do. Find out more here