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Garnacho to Villa
Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Chelsea for winger Alejandro Garnacho, with the arrangement described as a loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
“- Published Just hours after Chelsea made Morgan Rogers the most expensive British footballer in history by spending £117m to sign him from Aston Villa, they have agreed to loan Alejandro Garnacho to the Villans”
Sky Sports said the move is “easily achievable” and noted Chelsea wanted £42.6m for the winger, while Telemundo reported that Fabrizio Romano said Unai Emery wanted Garnacho and that the agreement is “cerrado mediante un préstamo con una cláusula de compra que será obligatoria si se cumplen determinadas condiciones.”
The London Evening Standard reported Jackson is open to a Chelsea exit as an Aston Villa loan deal nears completion, and it said no club-to-club talks had taken place yet, but that Emery is interested in reuniting with Jackson after the pair worked together at Villarreal.
The Standard also said Jackson has scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Chelsea since moving from Villarreal for £32m in 2023, and that Jackson was deemed surplus to requirements last season after the arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
Sky Sports added that Garnacho had not reported for pre-season training at Chelsea in order to allow him to pursue a move away, and that the deal comes after the two clubs negotiated a British-record transfer fee of £117m for Morgan Rogers to go in the other direction.
UEFA rules and clauses
Sky Sports said UEFA rules make the Garnacho move complicated because Villa and Chelsea were recently fined by UEFA for breaching financial sustainability regulations and are “walking a fine tightrope to avoid further heavier sanctions.”
The report explained that UEFA guidelines can treat two players being transferred in opposite directions as a “player exchange transaction” if they are concluded in 45 days of each other and have the same or similar payment obligations, deadlines or dates.
Sky Sports also said Chelsea believe the conditions to make Garnacho’s move to Villa permanent are “easily achievable,” but that there is “a small risk for the Blues” because there has to be enough jeopardy in the deal to ensure UEFA are satisfied.
In parallel, ESPN said Chelsea are understood to want around £42.5 million in any permanent deal for the winger, and it reported that Garnacho has been told he can leave Stamford Bridge after a poor first season.
ESPN further stated that Garnacho did not report for preseason training earlier in July and that both parties agreed it is best he stays away from the training ground while his future gets resolved.
Medical, contract, impact
Football London said Garnacho has already completed his medical and is now in Birmingham to finalise the move, with the deal including a £42.5m buy clause that would become mandatory if certain conditions are met.
“Aston Villa is one step away from signing the Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho on loan, who will not be kept at Chelsea but will continue his career in English football”
Football London also reported that a four-year contract is said to be lined up, should the conditional obligation-to-buy clause be met and the deal made permanent, and it described Garnacho as 22-year-old who was once again searching for a fresh start after failing to secure a regular starting spot at Stamford Bridge.
Sky Sports said Garnacho managed just 1,217 Premier League minutes across his 25 appearances last term, and it added that this is less than both Rogers (1,528) and Emiliano Buendia (1,527) managed in the same position while sharing the workload off the left flank for Villa last season.
Telemundo said Garnacho arrived at Chelsea last summer from Manchester United for around 40 million pounds, and it reported that in the last season he played 25 Premier League matches and “acumuló 1.217 minutos y participó directamente en apenas cinco goles.”
ESPN México quoted Xabi Alonso saying, “There is interest in Garnacho from other clubs. I hope it ends in the best possible way for everyone,” as it described the loan as a move that would let Garnacho continue his career in English football rather than return to training under Alonso.
