Alejandro Garnacho Offered Chelsea ‘Escape Route’ by Serie A Giants

The 22-year-old had a debut season to forget at Stamford Bridge.

Alejandro Garnacho could be on his way out of west London. | Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho could be the next Premier League outcast headed to Serie A after Roma reportedly submitted a €5 million (£4.3 million, $5.7 million) loan deal for the Argentine.

In typical Chelsea fashion, the summer window has been a revolving door of incoming and outgoing transfers as the team looks to rebound from a disastrous 2025–26 season. Garnacho, who inked a seven-year deal with the Blues when he joined from Manchester United last summer, is one of the players not included in Xabi Alonso’s plans.

Roma are in the market for a winger and offered Garnacho a potential escape route from west London. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports the Serie A side proposed a season-long loan for €5 million, with a €35 million ($40 million, £29.9 million) option to buy that would become mandatory if certain requirements are met.

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Garnacho’s Stock Plummeted After Chelsea Woes

Alejandro Garnacho faces an uncertain future at Chelsea. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

The buy option on the table from Roma is lower than Chelsea would like considering the club shelled out £40 million ($53 million) for Garnacho’s signature, but they will likely struggle to find a club willing to pay that much money for a forward with just eight goals to his name in 2025–26.

Garnacho made 43 appearances in his debut campaign for the Blues, but found it hard to stake his claim in the XI after a flurry of inconsistent, lackluster performances. In 24 Premier League appearances, 14 of which were starts, he recorded just one goal and four assists.

The bulk of his output came in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, where he scored six of his eight goals last season. Except four of those goals came against Cardiff City, Port Vale and Wrexham. The other two came in a heroic substitute appearance against Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals, but he was never able to replicate that performance.

By the end of the season, interim manager Calum McFarlane only played Garnacho for five total minutes in Chelsea’s final three games. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, meanwhile, left the 22-year-old at home for the 2026 World Cup.

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Alonso Pushes Garnacho Out the Door

Xabi Alonso made his thoughts on Alejandro Garnacho known. | Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Any hope Garnacho had of coming back stronger and making a statement in his sophomore season were no doubt crushed when new boss Alonso confirmed he is free to leave.

“We have spoken with the sporting directors, and there is interest [in] him from other clubs, so let’s see how it develops,” Alonso said in regards to Garnacho’s situation. “Hopefully it finishes in the best possible way for all parties.”

In contrast, Alonso confirmed he wants Enzo Fernández to stay at Stamford Bridge despite the midfielder’s previous interest in a transfer, particularly to Real Madrid.

It’s in Garnacho’s best interest to start a new chapter elsewhere and rediscover the form that made him one of United’s most exiting prospects. He will hope to follow the same path as former teammate Rasmus Højlund, who secured a permanent move to Napoli after a successful loan stint last season.

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