According to reports, Aston Villa are now willing to ‘freeze out’ Chelsea loanee Alejandro Garnacho to ‘back out’ of a permanent transfer.

In the summer, Garnacho joined Aston Villa from Chelsea on loan with a conditional £43m buy option, which is understood to be performance-based.

This was one of this summer’s most left-field transfers, but it came about after Garnacho had a disappointing debut season at Chelsea after leaving boyhood club Manchester United.

Garnacho had a difficult couple of seasons before linking up with Aston Villa, and head coach Unai Emery has been tasked with rebuilding him.

However, Garnacho has had a slow start to the 2026/27 campaign and has only played 60 minutes in his five substitute appearances.

During the recent international break, Garnacho reportedly had an ‘intense mini pre-season’ to build his fitness, and Emery praised the 22-year-old after he came off the bench in Thursday’s 3-1 win against Viking. 

Emery said: “They are exploiting their quality.

We have to feel strong in our structure and understand how we want to play and how we can feel strong.

“We are trying to be at the highest level possible. Today they improved and are getting more confident. It was a step forward for both players.

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

Aston Villa reach verdict on offloading Alejandro Garnacho

However, a new report from Football Insider claims Aston Villa are now ‘prepared to back out of the Garnacho deal’ if his ‘form doesn’t improve’ in the coming weeks.

The report explains:

‘The Argentine’s loan move to Villa Park contains an appearance-based purchase obligation, but Unai Emery and Co. are prepared to freeze him out if needs be.

‘Sources say that Villa feel that the ball is in Garnacho’s court to prove his worth, and they have already decided that, as things stand, they will avoid playing him enough to trigger their buy clause.’

Speaking generally on Aston Villa’s performance against Viking, Emery said: “We are delighted with how we are responding to our demands and respecting the Champions League and our opponents.

“Also, with how we are improving things. We played a good match, a serious match, collectively and tactically.

“We followed the plan we set out. Individually, we exploited our qualities. I think we did a good job, and some players took a step forward with their confidence, feeling better and understanding everything tactically.”