Aston Villa have entered advanced negotiations with Chelsea to sign Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, according to reports in England.
The proposed deal would see the 22-year-old move to Villa Park for the 2026-27 season on a year-long loan, with a conditional compulsory purchase clause to follow, The Athletic reports. Key elements of the agreement are still being negotiated and no final decision has yet been reached.
Emery pushes for favourite target
The move has been driven personally by Villa head coach Unai Emery, who is described as a long-standing admirer of Garnacho’s talent.
Emery tried to bring the winger to Villa last summer, before Garnacho instead opted to join Chelsea from Manchester United in a £40m transfer. The Spaniard has now revived his interest and is said to be pushing strongly for the deal to be completed in this window.
Despite interest from Roma, Villa believe Emery’s project and the trajectory of the club under his management will be enough to convince Garnacho to choose Birmingham as his next destination.
Sources stress that the Garnacho talks are entirely separate from the negotiations that will see Morgan Rogers move in the opposite direction to Stamford Bridge in a blockbuster deal worth £117m.
Record Chelsea deal for Rogers
Rogers is preparing to sign a six-year contract with Chelsea, with an option for a further 12 months. The £117m fee would be the highest in Chelsea’s history, surpassing the £106m paid to Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in 2023.
Earlier this month, Villa moved to cover Rogers’ expected departure by completing a club-record signing of defender Johan Manzambi from Freiburg as a direct replacement.
With that deal done, focus at Villa has shifted towards strengthening the wide attacking positions. The Midlands club explored several options, including Paris St-Germain’s Ibrahim Mbaye and West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville, before pushing ahead with a move for Garnacho.
Garnacho granted time to decide future
Garnacho has been given permission by new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso to miss the start of the club’s pre-season training camp while his future is resolved.
The Argentine joined Chelsea last summer after four seasons in Manchester United’s first team, but struggled to establish himself as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge during the 2025-26 campaign.
He made 22 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea – 14 of them in the Premier League – and scored eight goals, a respectable return but not enough to cement an undisputed first-team place amid fierce competition for attacking roles.
From Atletico academy to Premier League journey
A graduate of Atletico Madrid’s academy, Garnacho moved to Manchester United as a teenager and went on to play 144 matches for the Old Trafford side, scoring 26 goals in all competitions.
His opportunities decreased under head coach Ruben Amorim, leading to a difficult final season and an eventual exit from United that Garnacho later described as a painful end to his time at the club, admitting he had “made some mistakes” along the way.
On the international stage, Garnacho has earned eight caps for Argentina’s senior team. He was named in the 55-man preliminary squad for the World Cup but did not make the final cut.
Villa target fresh firepower out wide
Should Aston Villa complete the deal, Garnacho would add pace, direct running and goal threat to Emery’s attacking options as the club look to consolidate their position among the Premier League’s leading sides and compete deep into European competition.
While talks continue and details of the purchase obligation are refined, all parties are understood to be working towards reaching an agreement before the start of the new season, with Villa confident they can land one of the most highly rated young wingers in the league.
