Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign winger Alejandro Garnacho on a loan deal that carries a conditional obligation to buy, according to Sky Sports.

The terms of the arrangement are understood to satisfy Chelsea's asking price, with Sky Sports News having previously reported the club valued Garnacho at £42.6 million. The total package, inclusive of the loan fee, meets that figure.

Garnacho moved to Chelsea from Manchester United last summer in a £40 million deal, but his debut season at Stamford Bridge proved difficult. The Argentina international made 25 Premier League appearances yet accumulated only 1,217 minutes — an average of fewer than 49 minutes per game — as he struggled to stand out on an already congested left flank.

Numbers that tell the story

That tally compares poorly to what Villa's own wide players produced last season. Morgan Rogers logged 1,528 Premier League minutes and Emiliano Buendia 1,527, both operating on the same flank. Their contribution in terms of goal involvements was sharper too: Rogers registered one every 90 minutes, Buendia one every 190, while Garnacho managed just one every 243 minutes from his five goal involvements.

The deal arrives in the wake of the two clubs completing a British-record £117 million transfer that sent Rogers to Chelsea, a transaction that now makes this Garnacho move possible in the other direction.

Tactical questions for Emery

Garnacho's arrival would likely prompt manager Unai Emery to rethink his system. Both Rogers and Buendia offer the flexibility to play on either flank and to drift inside, giving Villa a fluid attacking shape. Garnacho, by contrast, tends to operate from the right and is less inclined to cut in — a pattern he showed during his time at Manchester United, including in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City where he scored while playing from that side.

Whether Emery can unlock a new dimension from the 21-year-old or must adjust his setup around him will be one of the key questions of Villa's coming season.