Aston Villa ready to freeze out Garnacho to avoid £43m Chelsea transfer

By Ihuoma Inyama

Aston Villa are reportedly prepared to limit Alejandro Garnacho’s playing time if the Chelsea loanee fails to improve, potentially allowing the club to avoid triggering a £43 million permanent transfer.

Garnacho joined Villa from Chelsea during the summer on loan, with the agreement understood to include a performance-based purchase clause. The move came after the Argentina international struggled during his first season at Stamford Bridge following his departure from Manchester United.

The 22-year-old has also endured a slow start at Villa Park, making five substitute appearances but playing just 60 minutes in total.

Garnacho used the recent international break to work on his fitness during an intensive training programme, and manager Unai Emery offered encouragement after the winger came off the bench during Villa’s 3-1 Champions League victory over Viking.

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“Garnacho played 20 minutes and these were his best minutes with us. It is positive,” Emery said.

However, Football Insider reports that Villa could choose not to play Garnacho regularly enough to trigger the permanent purchase clause if his form does not improve in the coming weeks.

The report claims Villa believe the responsibility is now on Garnacho to prove that he deserves a permanent move, with the club prepared to reduce his opportunities if he fails to make a stronger impression.

That would put the winger under increasing pressure to turn his limited opportunities into convincing performances, particularly with Villa competing across domestic and European competitions.

For now, Emery remains positive about Garnacho’s progress, but the coming weeks could prove crucial in determining whether the Argentine earns a permanent place at Villa Park or returns to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell.