Chelsea have loaned Alejandro Garnacho to Aston Villa on a season-long loan with the option to buy.
According to Sky Sports News, the move includes a “conditional obligation to buy” the Argentina international, who simply did not make the impact at Stamford Bridge that he had hoped after his move from Manchester United.
With Chelsea needing to prune their squad without European football under Xabi Alonso, Garnacho was viewed as surplus to requirements.
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Including a loan fee, it is being reported that Chelsea will net £42.6m ($ AUD 81m) for the winger, not bad business considering he arrived from Old Trafford for £40m, although it is reported United still have a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
With Chelsea having bought Morgan Rogers off Villa, Unai Emery knew he needed reenforcement in that position.
Morgan Rogers. Image source: Chelsea
Emery said: “We are delighted with Alejandro. He is so talented, young and he showed us his wish to help our project. We are really happy.”
However, given both clubs are walking a Financial Fair Play tightrope, the reason for the initial loan, rather than a sale, is to avoid it being deemed a “single player exchange”. Villa wanted to bank a record fee for Rogers and engaging in a player swap would have reduced that margin to simply the difference between the fees. This technicality allowed both clubs to achieve what they need through the rules from a football and financial perspective, the only risk for the Blues being the “obligation to buy clause” does require an element of it not being a foregone conclusion to satisfy the rules. Chelsea will be sweating on Garnacho succeeding so that Villa do trigger that cause.
“I think I was looking for a club that I could get confidence from and help me try to be the player that I was years ago from my first years at [Manchester] United,” Garnacho said.
“I spoke with the manager and he’s given me that confidence.
“I saw them in the Europa League last season and to be a part of the Champions League is important and with Unai, I spoke with him before I came here and that’s what’s given me the confidence.”
Meanwhile, Sky Sports also reports that talks are progressing well between the club and Crystal Palace for a $AUD 105 million deal for central defender Maxence Lacroix.
At six foot four tall and one of the five fastest Premier League centre backs, the Frenchman is going to tempt Chelsea to break their tendency to avoid paying transfer fees for players 26 years of age, having been scarred by experiences with Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly in 2022.
MORE TRANSFER TALK: Chelsea set to sign $65million-rated Argentina midfielder after Jude Bellingham slap
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