Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Aston Villa made an official request during their Morgan Rogers meeting with Chelsea — and the answer they received was not the one Unai Emery wanted.
It has been a whirlwind few days at Villa Park. On Saturday, Chelsea swept in with a £117 million package for Morgan Rogers, a British record fee that Fabrizio Romano confirmed as completed, with the England star heading to London for his medical at the start of this week.
Unai Emery and Roberto Olabe now face the delicate task of reinvesting that windfall at speed, with the winger position sitting at the very top of the shopping list. Villa have already entered the race for a €60m AC Milan winger, but Romano has now revealed that another name came up in the Rogers negotiations themselves.
Speaking on his YouTube channel over the weekend, the Italian journalist explained that Villa had been preparing for this scenario for some time. “I told you over the past few days that Aston Villa had been working on signing a new winger because they expected Morgan Rogers to leave, and that is exactly what has happened,” he said.
The winger Aston Villa raised in the Chelsea meeting
According to Fabrizio Romano, the player Villa asked Chelsea about was Alejandro Garnacho. “One of the discussion points during the meeting with Chelsea was Alejandro Garnacho,” Romano revealed, before adding the snag: “At the moment, however, Garnacho’s priority is to explore different opportunities.”
Romano was careful not to overstate where things stand. “At this stage, Aston Villa’s interest in Garnacho is not yet something concrete, although his name was discussed during the meeting,” he said. The complication is Italy: “At the moment, Alejandro Garnacho has an offer from Roma in Italy, and Roma are pushing very hard to sign him.”
Reporting from Italian outlets carrying Romano’s information goes further, indicating Villa officially requested the Argentine winger in that meeting, only for the player to make clear he prefers a new challenge outside the Premier League.
Should Aston Villa keep pushing for Garnacho?
On paper, the logic is obvious. Garnacho is a left-sided winger entering his prime years, Villa suddenly have more than £100 million of Rogers money to deploy, and Chelsea are open to doing business after landing their man. A deal could even have been folded into the wider Rogers negotiation.
But the player’s stance matters more than the fit. Romano’s reporting is clear that Garnacho’s priority right now is exploring options elsewhere, with Roma pressing hardest, and Villa’s interest has not yet developed into anything concrete. Emery has never been a manager who chases players whose heads are elsewhere, and with Champions League football to prepare for, Villa cannot afford a saga.
The verdict: keep the name on the list, but do not wait. If Roma’s push stalls and Garnacho’s Premier League door reopens, Villa hold the cash to move quickly. Until then, expect pragmatism from the recruitment team — the Milan winger race and other targets will not pause for a player who, as of today, is looking towards Serie A.
