Chelsea have reached an agreement with Manchester United for the signing of Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho in a £40m deal, making him one of the most expensive sales in United’s history.
The 21-year-old, who joined United’s youth setup from Atletico Madrid in 2020, had been told by manager Ruben Amorim to find a new club after a series of disagreements, culminating in his omission from the Europa League final against Tottenham.
According to a 9am News report, Chelsea initially offered £25m, but United held out for a higher fee before settling on £40m plus a 10% sell-on clause. This makes Garnacho’s departure United’s fourth largest-ever sale, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, and Angel di Maria.
The transfer comes at a crucial time for Chelsea, who have spent over £500m on wingers since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took ownership of the club. Including strikers, that figure surpasses £650m, although the Blues have also set a Premier League record for player sales in a single summer, with over £263m banked from departures.
Player sales are vital this summer, given Uefa’s financial rules. Chelsea must maintain a positive transfer balance to register new signings for the Champions League after being fined €31m (£26.7m) for breaches.
United have already invested nearly £200m in attacking reinforcements, including Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo. Amorim, who prefers a system without traditional wide forwards, had long deemed Garnacho surplus to requirements.
The winger’s frustration grew last season when he was excluded from the squad against Manchester City and later questioned Amorim’s decision-making after the Europa League final. His public criticism accelerated his exit, with his agents reopening talks with Chelsea, who had shown interest as far back as January.
Garnacho’s arrival comes as Chelsea prepare to offload Christopher Nkunku to AC Milan for £32m, while Nicolas Jackson is in talks with Bayern Munich over a loan that could become permanent. These exits, along with Garnacho’s addition, underline a new era in Chelsea’s forward line.
For Garnacho, Stamford Bridge represents a fresh start and an opportunity to flourish in a system that values wide attackers something he struggled to find under Amorim at Old Trafford.
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