Alejandro Garnacho is approaching the exit door at Stamford Bridge, and according to reports, a surprising Premier League club have started talks to secure his signature.
Garnacho was brought to Chelsea for £40 million from Manchester United in the summer, after being frozen out under Ruben Amorim. But the 22-year-old has had a nightmare spell in west London, scoring just eight goals in 43 appearances in his first season.
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Xabi Alonso has now opened the door for Garnacho to leave Chelsea, confirming in his first press conference that the Argentine is not part of his long-term plans. The quick-footed winger didn’t even show up for training when those who didn’t make it to the World Cup returned to Cobham – and since then, several clubs have shown interest in his services.
Roma made a bid for Garnacho last week, with a proposal for an initial loan with an obligation to buy for €35 million if certain conditions are met. Chelsea’s preference, on the other hand, is to sell the international with eight A-caps, and they value him at around £43 million – with clubs in both Saudi Arabia and the Premier League lurking in the wings.
According to The Athletic , Aston Villa have held “talks” about the possibility of signing Garnacho, as a replacement for Morgan Rogers. Villa accepted a British record bid of £117 million from Chelsea for Rogers on Saturday, and Unai Emery is now on the hunt for a replacement. Garnacho is seen as a possible option, along with West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville and PSG talent Ibrahim Mbaye – but it is said that a hunt for Chelsea’s number 49 will put an end to negotiations for both Summerville and Mbaye.
The same report adds that if they choose not to go for the disgruntled Chelsea player, they could instead hijack teammate Nicolas Jackson. Emery is a long-time admirer of the Senegalese, having coached him previously at Villarreal, and could try to lure the 24-year-old to Mid-England.
“His attitude was also fantastic,” the Spaniard said of Jackson in December 2024. “He was always willing to learn. He always demanded more training, more focus. He was also a professional every day outside of training, at home, because he had football as his first priority in life.
What Emi Martinez has said about Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho is at a crucial stage of his career. Even though he is still only 22, the next step must be positive – otherwise he can quickly slip into a slippery slope. The opportunity to work under a manager like Emery could be just what he needs to get his head back in the right place and rediscover the electric talent that first impressed at Manchester United.
Depending on whether Villa go for the winger, Garnacho could be teammates with national team colleague Emi Martinez, who has previously almost showered him with praise.
“He’s a very humble guy. He came to work, he didn’t talk much. He is very eager to play. The truth is that he is a little treasure and I hope we can shape him so that he gives us as much as Ángel Di María,” Martinez said of the Chelsea star in June 2023.
Ironically, Martinez called him a “humble guy” at the time – something that has turned out to be the exact opposite in retrospect, with several incidents weakening his chances of development. Garnacho once stormed down the players’ tunnel rather than sit on the bench after being substituted against Ipswich Town in early 2025, and he publicly aired his frustrations against Amorim on social media last year.
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