Wire flash
SportsAston Villa confirm loan signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea with £43m buy clause
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Aston Villa have announced the season-long loan signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea, with a conditional obligation to buy for £43 million based on appearances. The 22-year-old Argentina international joined Chelsea from Manchester United for £40 million less than 12 months ago but made only 43 appearances, just over half from the start. Chelsea included a 10% sell-on clause in the deal. Villa manager Unai Emery expressed delight with the signing. The move continues a pattern of former Manchester United wingers joining Villa on loan, following Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. Villa previously avoided a permanent obligation for Harvey Elliott by limiting his appearances. Garnacho has six years remaining on his Chelsea contract.
Source report
Updated: 14:57, 23 Jul 2026
Chelsea have sent Alejandro Garnacho to Aston Villa ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, less than 12 months after signing the Argentina international from Manchester United.
Aston Villa have announced the signing of Alejandro Garnacho on a season-long loan from Chelsea. The deal includes a £43 million conditional obligation to buy clause, triggered based on the number of appearances the 22-year-old makes.
Garnacho moves on from the Blues less than a year after they spent £40 million to sign him from Manchester United. Chelsea stand to benefit from a 10% sell-on clause should the move become permanent, with the club believing the conditions to do so are easily reachable.
The winger made 43 appearances for Chelsea last season, though just over half of those were from the start.
Villa's History with Loan-to-Buy Deals
Villa have experience with this type of arrangement. Harvey Elliott's loan from Liverpool did not become permanent last season — Villa had an obligation to sign the England international for £35 million if he made ten appearances across all competitions, but only played him nine times.
Chelsea, too, have previously avoided a permanent loan obligation. They paid Manchester United a £5 million penalty fee 12 months ago to avoid keeping Jadon Sancho.
Sancho subsequently joined Villa on loan last season. Garnacho now effectively replaces his former Manchester United teammate in Birmingham.
A Pattern of Former United Wingers
The succession of former Manchester United wingers joining Villa on loan extends further back. Marcus Rashford spent the second half of the 2024/25 season under Unai Emery.
Garnacho will hope his move works out more like Rashford's spell than Sancho's. Rashford secured a move to Barcelona following his time at Villa Park.
Sancho, meanwhile, remains without a club after his Manchester United contract expired at the end of last season. There is no such end in sight for Chelsea if Garnacho does not stay at Villa, with six years still left on his contract.
Manager and Club Comments
Unai Emery said in Villa's statement announcing the move:
"We are delighted with Alejandro. He is so talented, young and he showed us his wish to help our project. We are really happy."
Villa teased the move on social media, stating: "We already knew claret and blue looked good on him…" — a reference to when Garnacho wore a Villa shirt with Rashford's name and number on the back last year.
Image: Alejandro Garnacho spent less than a year at Chelsea (Credit: John Walton/PA Wire)
This article contains affiliate links. We will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Source
Mirror - Transfer NewsWestern
Part of this Story
Chelsea to Sell Alejandro Garnacho; Roma Loan Interest Rejected