Chelsea ‘take first steps’ to sign ‘cut-price’ Alejandro Garnacho from Man Utd
Chelsea have opened talks to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in what they hope will be a ‘cut-price’ deal for the winger.
That is the claim by talkSPORT, who suggest the London club have stepped up their pursuit of the wantaway player.
It is claimed Chelsea value Garnacho at around £30m and have waited until later in the transfer window to make a move in the hope that United will drop their asking price for a player who clearly has no future at the club.
Back in January, Chelsea were one of two clubs interested in the 21-year-old, but United’s valuation of £60m was deemed too high. His subsequent falling out with Ruben Amorim, as well as being one of five players to tell the club he wants to leave, has made him available for a much lower fee.
A loan with an obligation to buy is also not ruled out, with Chelsea and United having done similar business with Jadon Sancho. In that instance, Chelsea opted to pay a £5m penalty rather than the £25m agreed fee to permanently sign the Dortmund winger.
Manchester United have been looking to sell Garnacho all summer, and that desire will only increase with the expected arrival of Benjamin Sesko.
Having beaten Newcastle to the punch, the Old Trafford club are reported to have tabled a bid worth up to £73.8m for the Slovenian striker.
The return of Sancho to Old Trafford, as well as the anti-doping violation ban for Mykhailo Mudryk, has left Chelsea short on the left wing despite a summer of signings.
The London club have already purchased Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, and Estevao to strengthen their front line.
MORE ON CHELSEA ON F365
👉 Chelsea: Romano confirms ‘two reasons’ for delay on ‘advanced’ signing amid clear Garnacho update
👉 Chelsea ‘given answer’ on Man Utd transfer amid fresh ‘agreement’ claim as £40m price cut mooted
👉 Raheem Sterling makes transfer decision as PL club ‘consider approach’ for Chelsea outcast
They are also in the market for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, with the Blues expected to table an opening bid for the £60m-rated midfielder.
Simons came through the youth ranks of both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain but has made a name for himself at Leipzig. The 22-year-old contributed 17 goals in the Bundesliga last season and could fill in for Cole Palmer should the England international suffer a drop in form, as he did in the second half of last season.
It also wouldn’t be a Chelsea summer without a number of outgoings as well. Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, Djordje Petrovic, and Lesley Ugochukwu have all moved for big fees, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall recently completed a £28m move to Everton just a year after joining Chelsea.
READ NEXT: Transfer rumour ranking: Man Utd’s path to Baleba, Liverpool linked to PSG star
