Roma turn to Garnacho as Chelsea weigh his future after a tough debut season
Alejandro Garnacho could be on the move again after a disappointing first season at Chelsea, with Roma keen, though the two clubs disagree over whether any deal should be a loan or a permanent sale.
Jul 11, 2026
Alejandro Garnacho arrived at Chelsea last summer as one of the pricier gambles of the window. A year on, the club is already weighing up whether to cut its losses.
Roma have made an approach for the 22-year-old Argentina winger, according to reports in England and Italy, with the Serie A side looking to add attacking depth for their return to the Champions League. The interest is real. So is the gap between what the two clubs want, and that gap is the reason this looks awkward rather than imminent.
A first season that fell flat
Garnacho’s debut campaign at Stamford Bridge never caught fire. He finished with eight goals, but the bulk of them came in domestic cup ties against lower-league opposition rather than in the games that decided Chelsea’s season. For a player the club paid around €46 million to sign from Manchester United, and who had turned down a move to Napoli to come to London instead, it was a long way short of what anyone had in mind.
Loan or sale: the sticking point
The shape of any move is where it gets complicated. Roma would rather take Garnacho on loan, ideally with an option to buy, spreading their risk on a player whose stock has dropped over the past 12 months. Chelsea, so far, want none of that. Their line is that they will only sanction a permanent sale, not a temporary one, and until someone gives ground the two clubs are effectively talking past each other.
Chelsea in no rush
There is also little sign that Chelsea feel pushed into a quick call. Reports suggest the club will wait until new head coach Xabi Alonso has had a proper look at Garnacho in pre-season before deciding whether he has a future in the squad. That leaves the winger in limbo, his old suitors circling and his current club unwilling to let him leave on anyone’s terms but their own. A strong pre-season could flip the picture completely. Another flat one, and the questions about his future will only get louder.