Aston Villa have approached Chelsea with a bid to sign Alejandro Garnacho on loan. The Midlands club are open to a temporary move that could include an obligation to buy next summer.
The offer, reported by people close to the club, comes shortly after Villa sold Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for £117m, a record for a British player.
Garnacho has been made available for transfer by Chelsea after a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge following his move from Manchester United. Chelsea are understood to value the 22-year-old at about £42.5m.
The Argentina winger has not returned to Chelsea for preseason programme after both club and player agreed he should remain away from training while his future is resolved. The decision came after he was informed earlier in the summer that he could not be assured of a regular place in the team and he expressed his desire to leave.
Villa’s £117m inflow of cash after selling Rogers does not necessarily mean the club have the financial freedom to sign Garnacho for Chelsea’s quoted price, at least not this summer. The club have paid a combined fee of around £90m for Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomez, and they remain on a stringent budget due to the Premier League’s and Uefa’s financial rules.
In addition, signing a player from Chelsea within 45 days of Rogers going the other way could break Uefa’s rules on player exchange transfers, which typically involve players moving in opposite directions to game transfer regulations.
Since there are less than 45 days remaining until the end of the transfer window, any permanent move for Garnacho will considerably eat into Villa’s profit from the Rogers sale according to Uefa’s reckoning. So a loan move would be suitable for the Midlands club.
It is also an approach Chelsea might stomach if there is an obligation to buy. The club’s cards are exposed after Garnacho was publicly given permission to deliver pre-season training and complete a move. The club would prefer to resolve his future before the transfer window closes and a move to Villa might be the best option on the table.
