Aston Villa have reportedly agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign winger Alejandro Garnacho in an initial loan deal.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Manchester United last summer and went on to score eight goals and provide four assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.
Prior to that, he registered 26 goals and 22 assists in 144 outings with the Red Devils, but ongoing question marks over his character off the pitch have led to concerns over this potential move from Villa amid heavy speculation in recent days.
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Nevertheless, it appears as though the deal will now go through as Fabrizio Romano reports a deal has been agreed between Villa and Chelsea, with Garnacho set to join us on loan, but the agreement will include an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met.
It’s unclear at this stage what those specific conditions are, but more will hopefully come out in the coming days and weeks to provide clarity on that specific point.
It’s added that the Argentine international will undergo a medical as it has been booked already, and he specifically mentions that it was Unai Emery who wanted Garnacho.
In turn, it’s hoped that the Villa boss can work his magic on him just as he has done with countless players before him at Villa, as although the talent and potential is there with the winger, he needs a stable environment and confidence instilled in him to fulfil that potential and play his best football on a consistent basis.
Further, our senior players will no doubt have a big role to play in this too in guiding him to become as impactful as possible for the team, and it’s crucial that this is a loan initially to see if he proves that he deserves a permanent move.
It adds a different dynamic to our attack with his acceleration, technical quality and skills to give us a threat down the left flank, and hopefully he’s the answer on that side with the likes of Johan Manzambi, John McGinn, Alysson and others providing support alongside him behind our frontman.
As per David Ornstein, he reiterates that it’s a loan deal with conditional buy obligation, but he notes that the medical has already been completed and Garnacho is in Birmingham to formalise the move. He will put pen to paper on a four-year contract if the move turns into a permanent switch.
For now though, he looks set to become our third notable signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Manzambi and Joao Gomes.