"Long Time" - Aston Villa Offer Biggest Hint Yet That Chelsea Star Will Be Signed On Permanent Basis | OneFootball

It was a busy summer for Chelsea that saw plenty of departures, including Alejandro Garnacho.

During the 2026 summer transfer window, both Aston Villa and Chelsea were once again at the centre of player trading between the two clubs.

Since the consortium led by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over the club in 2022, the business between Chelsea and Aston Villa has increased. What started with the Blues buying Carney Chukwuemeka for a fee in the region of £20 million after he had recently won the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with England has quickly become a near-annual occurrence.

In 2024, Chelsea sold academy defender Ian Maatsen to the Villans for £37.5m, with Omari Kellyman moving the other way for £19m. One year later, the clubs met again when Chelsea loaned French defender Axel Disasi to Villa during the January transfer window. However, the Midlands side later decided not to sign the centre-back permanently.

The strong relationship between the two sides reached a new level during the 2026 summer transfer window. England star Morgan Rogers joined the Blues in a £117m move. The shopping in the Midlands did not stop there, as in the final days of the window, Xabi Alonso’s side opted to sign goalkeeper Emi Martinez for £7.5m. The Argentine replaced Robert Sanchez, who joined Cesc Fabregas’ Como on loan.

As one Argentine came through the door at Stamford Bridge, another headed out at the beginning of pre-season. Aston Villa completed the loan signing of Alejandro Garnacho. The conditions of the loan move are likely to see it become permanent, with Villa boss Unai Emery recently dropping the biggest hint yet that the 22-year-old will likely switch Stamford Bridge for Villa Park on a permanent basis.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Emery seemed to indirectly confirm that the signing of the former Chelsea and Manchester United man will be permanent.

If Emery’s words are backed up in due course, Nicolas Jackson, who also joined from west London this summer in a move worth up to £65 million, would not be the only permanent arrival from Stamford Bridge.

Both Jackson and Garnacho were out of favour with Alonso this summer, with the latter not even included in the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.

Meanwhile, the writing was on the wall for Jackson, as Chelsea proceeded to sign Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee, while the arrival of Emmanuel Emegha proved there was little to no room for the Senegalese forward in Alonso’s plans.