Spanish Clubs Monitoring Chelsea Winger Amid Difficult Start To Loan Spell

Chelsea have also struggled in recent weeks in the Premier League, going three games without a win.

Several La Liga clubs are monitoring on-loan Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has had a rough start at Aston Villa this season, according to reports.

The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to buy this summer, just a year after his £40 million transfer from Manchester United to Chelsea.

The terms of the conditional obligation to buy are thought to be appearance-based and 'easily reachable', and the total package, including the loan fee, would reach their £43m valuation of the winger if the permanent deal goes through.

Villa boss Unai Emery’s recent comment also hinted at his plan to keep Garnacho at Villa Park beyond the loan spell.

“He is a player we have signed for a long time, and we will help him to feel comfortable and confident to get his quality,” Emery said about Garnacho in a press conference earlier this month.

However, Emery’s team selection has not reflected this plan at all.

Garnacho has only played 31 minutes for Villa so far across three substitute Premier League appearances.

Emery reasoned that Garnacho is simply behind in the pecking order.

"When he can have minutes to play, try to play well. He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now,” Emery responded when asked about Garnacho’s limited involvement last week.

“We want a competitive team and players to compete in the style we have.

“Garnacho is a little bit behind because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs.”

Garnacho’s situation at Villa is obviously not ideal for Chelsea, who may have to address the winger’s future again if he returns from his loan next summer.

If Garnacho continues to struggle at Villa, his valuation is also expected to drop despite the six years left in his contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2032.

Still, according to the Daily Mail, several unspecified La Liga sides are closely monitoring Garnacho’s situation.

The Argentina international was born in Madrid and spent time at Atletico Madrid’s academy before joining Manchester United in 2020 at the age of 16, so a return to Spain could be an attractive option for the player.

As it stands, however, neither Chelsea nor Villa are understood to plan on changing the terms of Garnacho’s loan deal.

While Garnacho’s start to the season does not suggest he will meet the requirements to trigger the obligation to buy, as Emery pointed out, he barely had a pre-season with Villa, which likely led to his slow start.

The international break may give him more time to adjust to the new club, helping him regain his form and establish himself as a regular starter.

Chelsea have also shown they can offload unwanted returning loanees, such as Nicolas Jackson, who did not meet the requirements to trigger the obligation to buy during his loan spell at Bayern Munich last season. The striker ended up joining Garnacho at Villa on a permanent deal worth up to £65m.