Aston Villa's £43 million obligation to buy, agreed as part of a season-long loan from Chelsea, only kicks in if Garnacho meets certain conditions that Chelsea consider "easily achievable."
So far, though, the Argentina international has barely featured: 31 minutes in total, no starts, and two matches on the bench without being used. He might not even have made the squad for the 3-2 win at Tottenham had Brazilian winger Alysson not been injured.
Neither Villa, Chelsea nor the player have discussed altering the terms of the deal at this stage, but Spanish top-flight clubs are already watching how things unfold, given his roots in the country: Garnacho was born in Madrid and came through Atlético Madrid's academy before Manchester United signed him at 16 in 2020.
Part of the issue is competition. George Hemmings has overtaken him on the left, and Emi Buendía, Ibrahim Mbaye, John McGinn and the recovering Alysson all offer Unai Emery alternatives across the front line.
Emery addressed the situation after Villa's Carabao Cup win at Coventry: "Continue working. Work, work, train, work. When he can have minutes to play, try to play well.
"He is progressing, but we have players in front of him now. George Hemmings is playing fantastic. Alysson is also understanding things well and is giving us things I want. Mbaye also responded well. We want a competitive team and players to compete in the style we have.
"Garnacho is a little bit behind because of some circumstances we had in pre-season. It is time to be patient for the time he needs."
Villa's training camp in Seville during the international break could offer Garnacho a chance to force his way back into contention before matches resume in October.