Aston Villa have agreed a loan deal for Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho until the end of the 2026-27 season, with an obligation to buy.
The 22-year-old has already completed a medical in Birmingham and has pre-agreed a four-year contract at Villa Park if the loan deal becomes permanent.
The terms of the obligation to buy clause has not been disclosed by either club, but it is expected to be triggered if certain conditions are met, such as the number of appearances the Argentina international makes next season.
Chelsea believe the terms are easily reachable and that they will achieve their original £43m valuation.
Garnacho’s departure from Stamford Bridge follows Chelsea’s signing of Morgan Rogers for a record £117m fee from Villa on Tuesday.
The winger becomes Villa’s fourth signing, after the arrivals of Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Modou Keba Cisse.
Villa’s player sales this summer, meanwhile, total nearly £200m, with Youri Tielemans, Donyell Malen, Enzo Barrenechea and Lewis Dobbin all leaving.
The Blues have been keen to offload Garnacho despite signing him only last September in a £40m deal from Manchester United, who would be due 10% of any eventual transfer fee.
His impact at Stamford Bridge has been limited to one Premier League goal, and the arrival of Rogers and Sporting winger Geovany Quenda have increased the need to reduce the size of the squad.
Garnacho’s Chelsea move did not go to plan – analysis
Garnacho’s only season at Chelsea did not go to plan, a fact perhaps best illustrated by that solitary Premier League goal.
In his defence, he started only nine matches following Liam Rosenior’s appointment, a 29-game period that also included Calum McFarlane’s second spell as interim manager at the end of the season.
Across all competitions, Garnacho scored a more respectable eight goals and provided four assists in 43 appearances last season.
However, aside from two goals against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, his other goals came against lesser opposition, including Qarabag, Wrexham, Port Vale and Cardiff City.
It also became apparent that Garnacho was beginning to lose the support of some supporters because of a perceived lack of work-rate.
There were also occasions when he was criticised for failing to track his runner, including during a home defeat by West Ham in which he was substituted at half-time after being involved in the build-up to two goals.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Garnacho remained professional and worked hard behind the scenes, which bodes well for his future.
In a late-season interview with Premier League Productions, the former Manchester United winger admitted he had done some “bad things” at Old Trafford because he was not playing enough.
Others familiar with Chelsea dressing room dynamics said Garnacho struggled to integrate fully into the group and often cut a distant figure.
However, there is no significant controversy surrounding his departure from Stamford Bridge. The Blues simply viewed him as a player they were willing to move on as part of efforts to improve the squad. (BBC)
