Aston Villa have agreed a loan deal, with an obligation to buy, for Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho until the end of the 2026-27 season, after he completed a medical in Birmingham. The move comes just days after Chelsea signed Villa's Morgan Rogers for a club-record £117m, and reflects Chelsea's desire to trim their squad following a disappointing debut season for the Argentine, while Villa continue an active summer of incomings and outgoings.

Garnacho, 22, has pre-agreed a four-year Villa contract that would kick in if the loan becomes permanent, with the obligation-to-buy terms reportedly tied to appearance numbers Chelsea consider easily achievable, expected to net them their original £43m valuation. He arrived at Stamford Bridge only last September in a £40m deal from Manchester United, who stand to receive a 10% sell-on fee, but managed just one Premier League goal amid limited starts under Liam Rosenior and interim spells for Calum McFarlane. He becomes Villa's fourth summer signing after Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Modou Keba Cisse, as the club also banks close to £200m from sales including Youri Tielemans, Donyell Malen, Enzo Barrenechea and Lewis Dobbin.