€50m Chelsea transfer in doubt after official update

17 Sept 2026 12:58 BST | 4 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

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Chelsea risk losing out on €50 million following Alejandro Garnacho’s hugely underwhelming start to life on loan at Aston Villa.

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The Argentina winger joined Unai Emery’s side on a season-long loan deal in July, but he has only racked up 31 minutes from a possible 630 so far this term and he is firmly behind academy starlet George Hemmings in the pecking order.

Current ETV

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

A. Villa

Alejandro Garnacho

F, M (L)

A. Villa

ETV Range

€36.1M - €44.2M

Garnacho, who endured a tough debut campaign at Chelsea following his arrival from Manchester United, was expected to play a prominent role at Villa Park after the departure of Morgan Rogers, however he appears to be in a similar boat to Harvey Elliott, who struggled for game time during a temporary spell last season.

Like Elliott, Garnacho’s loan deal includes an obligation-to-buy clause that will be triggered if he makes a certain number of appearances in 2026-27.

BBC Sport report that Chelsea believe “the terms are easily reachable,” with Aston Villa set to sign Garnacho for €50m if the clause is triggered. However, his lack of game time so far this season will certainly be a concern for the Blues, who will be desperate for Garnacho to depart on a permanent deal after his poor form last year.

The 22-year-old scored just one Premier League goal for Chelsea last season and after being an unused substitute in Villa’s last three matches across all competitions, Emery has confirmed that Garnacho is not currently in his best starting XI.

© IMAGO - Alejandro Garnacho, Aston Villa

Alejandro Garnacho latest

Speaking to reporters after his side’s 3-1 win over Coventry City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Emery said: “[He has to] continue working. Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try and play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now.

“George [Hemmings] is playing fantastic. Alysson is also understanding things well and is giving us things I want. [Ibrahim] Mbaye also responded well. We want a competitive team and players to compete in the style we have.

“Garnacho is a little bit behind, because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs.”

The exact number of appearances required for Garnacho’s obligation-to-buy clause to be triggered is unknown, but Chelsea will certainly be worried that a permanent move may not take place unless the winger is able to force his way into Emery’s preferred XI soon.