Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho has been attracting significant interest from various clubs over the past week, in view to a possible move away from Old Trafford.
Premier League rivals Chelsea have reportedly shown interest in making a move for the 20-year-old, while Serie A side Napoli have had a £40 million bid rejected for the the Argentine earlier this week.
Garnacho has made 31 appearances this season for the Red Devils and has become an important player since breaking into the first-team squad during the 2022–23 season.
However, news has emerged from United's joint-owners, the Ineos Group, that no first team player in the current squad is exempt from being sold, including academy graduates, such as Garnacho, and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, while forward Marcus Rashford looks increasingly likely to exit his boyhood club this month.
Would Alejandro Garnacho represent an excellent purchase for Chelsea? Here are some reasons for and against the Blues signing the Argentine:
For: He is only 20 years old—Chelsea's transfer model in recent years under current owners Clearlake Capital, led by Behdad Eghbali and minority shareholder Todd Boehly, has seen the club specifically target promising attacking players under 25. The reasoning behind this strategy would be to develop these prospects before they either become vital first-team players at the club or saleable assets that bring in a profit, and Garnacho's age and profile make him an ideal signing for Chelsea.
For: He has Premier League experience. Garnacho made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in April 2022, which incidentally came in a match against Chelsea at Old Trafford. The winger has gone to make 77 English top-flight appearances for United to date over the past two-and-a-half seasons, so the Argentine would not need time to acclimatize to the Premier League, compared to any signings Chelsea would make from abroad such as Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
Against: He doesn't automatically improve this Chelsea team. Garnacho would face fierce competition for a starting place at Chelsea, should he make the move. The Blues are very well stacked with wingers at the club, such as Jadon Sancho, Noni Madeuke and Pedro Neto. What's more, Garnacho's number of goal involvements are hardly remarkable, with 13 goals and seven assists from his 77 Premier League matches thus far, so the 20-year-old will need to raise his level to become an automatic starter in this Chelsea team.
Against: His attitude may cause him issues. Another factor that could work against a move for Garnacho is his high-profile omission from United's first-team squad last month for their derby match away at Manchester City. It has since emerged the 20-year-old had shown dissent towards head coach Rúben Amorim during training, which led to the Portuguese leaving the winger out of his squad. Garnacho has since returned to first-team action for United, but clubs may be wary of purchasing a player who may create disharmony within a squad, particularly within a relatively inexperienced dressing room such as Chelsea's.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Should Chelsea Sign Alejandro Garnacho From Manchester United?.