Chelsea agree £40m fee for Man Utd’s Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho has been signed by Chelsea for a £40 million contract.

At the end of last season, head coach Ruben Amorim instructed the 21-year-old Argentina international to look for a new club.

According to United sources, Garnacho’s transfer, which includes a 10% sell-on clause, will now be the club’s fourth-largest sale since Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, and Angel di Maria, when the initial offer from Chelsea was £25 million.

In just over three years, since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club, Chelsea has spent more than £500 million on wingers, including add-on clauses.

Although there have been significant player sales, with Chelsea likely to fully balance the books this summer on departures, the total will be more than £650 million, including strikers, once more with add-ons.

More than £200 million will have been spent on five attackers as a result of sales.

In January, Garnacho and Chelsea discussed moving to Stamford Bridge, and United initially requested £60 million for the forward.

The fee will also be crucial to meeting the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) as a homegrown player since Atletico Madrid left as a 16-year-old in 2020.

A new forward line that includes Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko has already been spent £200m by the Old Trafford club.

Garnacho’s final competitive game for United was in the Europa League final in May, where he questioned Amorim’s decision to stop him in the 1-0 defeat by Tottenham.

He was not chosen for the three-game summer trip to the United States, despite the club’s post-season tour of Asia that included him.

Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Marcus Rashford, who later signed for Barcelona on loan, were given the instruction to train at various times for Amorim’s squad.

Enzo Maresca, Blues manager, weighs the importance of Garnacho’s signing.

At a press conference, the Italian stated that signing a central defender and a left-winger capable of supplying a rival for Jamie Gittens’ addition to the summer transfer market was his top priorities.

However, the club only gave Maresca’s advice and only gave him one recommendation, adding an attacker, and allowing him to use the other defensive options.

Enter Garnacho, who has been a long-term target since Carlos Cambeiro and Quique de Lucas were seen in person at Stamford Bridge in late January.

Chelsea allegedly used delaying tactics to lower the Argentine’s price while attempting to fill a spot for Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, and Tyrique George despite knowing he was available.