A deal has been agreed for Chelsea forward Alejandro Garnacho to join Aston Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
The Argentine only moved to Chelsea from Manchester United last summer in a transfer worth £40m, but his stay in west London has not turned out as he had hoped. He has tallied just 12 goal contributions in 43 appearances and struggled to win over fans with his performances.
He is now set for a fresh start, though, with plans in place for him to join Villa in an initial one-year loan move which will become permanent next summer if certain conditions are met.
Standard Sport understands those conditions should be easily achievable and relate to appearances made for Villa. It is not clear how much money will change hands should Garnacho make a permanent move, but Chelsea had set their asking price at £43m when they put him up for sale in June and are understood to be happy with the terms of sale.
Garnacho has already undergone a medical.
Unai Emery's interest
Unai Emery is a big fan of the 22-year-old and was keen to work with him at Aston Villa. He attempted to sign the player last summer, but lost out to the Blues.
Xabi Alonso made clear in his unveiling press conference earlier this month that Garnacho was not in his plans, confirming the club was already in talks over his departure.
Second deal between clubs
This deal is the second between Chelsea and Villa in the last 24 hours, after Morgan Rogers’s move in the other direction was confirmed on Tuesday night. He became the most expensive British player in history as he made that £117m transfer.
It may not be the end of the two clubs’ dealings this summer, either, with Villa also interested in the Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, whose place under Xabi Alonso is uncertain after he returned from a season-long loan at Bayern Munich.
