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Man Utd to ACCEPT Garnacho Bid at New Reduced Price, As Chelsea Make Move To Beat Napoli
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Man Utd to ACCEPT Garnacho bid at new reduced price, as Chelsea make move to beat Napoli
By Steve Pearson
Manchester United have chopped £5m off their asking price for Alejandro Garnacho, and while that brings the winger within reach of Napoli, a report claims Chelsea plan to hijack the move.
Garnacho has been identified by Man Utd as a player who could be sacrificed for the greater good. The club are desperate to provide Ruben Amorim with specialist players for his 3-4-3 formation. Garnacho, as an out-and-out winger, lacks a natural position in the system.
As a homegrown player, the proceeds from the potential sale of Garnacho would represent ‘pure profit’ on United’s books.
Man Utd originally set their stall out at £60m. Per The Mirror, Napoli – who are seeking a new left winger after selling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG – failed with an opening bid worth £40m.
Providing his take on the situation, Fabrizio Romano claimed Napoli’s opening bid was actually worth £42.2m. Nonetheless, the bid was rebuffed, with Man Utd wanting more.
Chelsea have registered their interest in Garnacho, though despite the fact there’s two suitors in the mix, Man Utd have reportedly slashed their asking price.
According to Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Man Utd will now accept a £55m package in one of two guises – £46.5m plus £8.5m in add-ons, or £50.7m plus £4.3m in add-ons.
United’s price drop has given Napoli new hope a deal is there to be made and Di Marzio confirmed Antonio Conte’s side are ‘serious’ about the signing.
Taking to X, Romano also confirmed Napoli are continuing to push at Conte’s behest. The Napoli boss spoke directly with Garnacho last Friday and is insistent Garnacho is the one to replace Kvaratskhelia.
However, two sources claim Chelsea are ready ramp up their pursuit in the hopes of stealing a deal away from Napoli.
Chelsea stepping up Alejandro Garnacho pursuit
Per The Telegraph, Chelsea will reportedly ‘hold more talks’ with Man Utd in the coming days before deciding whether to submit an official bid.
A subsequent update from Romano echoed that claim when stating on X: “Chelsea made contact with United and player side, now deciding internally whether to bid or not.”
POPULAR ON TEAMTALK
And encouragingly for Chelsea, TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, has been informed Garnacho would be open to leaving Man Utd for Chelsea.
There is a catch, however, with Fletcher learning Garnacho’s ultimate goal is to sign for Real Madrid. As such, the 20-year-old would view Chelsea as a stepping stone to eventually landing at The Bernabeu.
It also means Garnacho would only accept a switch to Stamford Bridge if given assurances he’ll feature prominently under Enzo Maresca.
Indeed, it would be exceedingly difficult to earn a future move to Real Madrid if spending the next few years warming the bench at Chelsea.
Alternatives on Chelsea’s radar in the event they reel back from Garnacho include Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich) and Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund).
Latest Man Utd news – Dorgu official bid, Zirkzee exclusive
In other news, Man Utd have seen an official bid for Patrick Dorgu rejected by Lecce.
Fabrizio Romano claimed the offer was worth €27m plus add-ons, while Di Marzio stated it actually comprised €30m plus €5m in add-ons.
In any case, what is clear is Lecce rejected the bid and continue to hold firm on their €40m asking price.
Elsewhere, transfer insider Rudy Galetti has provided an exclusive update on the future of Joshua Zirkzee.
Responding to a question about the Dutchman’s future in a Q&A for TEAMtalk, Galetti stated: “Zirkzee is certainly not happy with how his experience in the Premier League is going so far.
“He would like to find happiness again on the pitch and certainly in Serie A, he feels more confident that he can do so. At the same time, however, after careful consideration, he would like to try to make Amorim change his mind.