Man Utd keen to swap Chelsea player in Alejandro Garnacho transfer negotiations

Manchester United reportedly mentioned a Chelsea player who could be used as a ‘make weight’ when negotiating Alejandro Garnacho’s potential move to the London club.

Garnacho, 21, has fallen out of favour with United head coach Ruben Amorim in recent months, having given an explosive post-match interview following the Red Devils’ Europa League final defeat against Spurs back in May.

Just days later, Amorim reportedly told the Argentinian to find a new club. The 21-year-old has since been training alone at Carrington, and it appears his days are numbered at United.

Several clubs from Saudi Arabia, as well as Serie A champions Napoli and Premier League outfit Chelsea, have also been linked with a potential move for Garnacho.

Currently, Chelsea appear to be Garnacho’s most likely destination, according to various reports.

BBC Sport reported earlier this week that United are “braced” for an offer from Chelsea and deem him to be worth more than £50m.

Alejandro Garnacho is linked with Chelsea (Credit:Getty)

When speaking on the ‘Here We Go Podcast with Fabrizio Romano,’ Romano claimed the 21-year-old was willing to stay out of United’s squad if they did not sanction a move this summer.

Romano said: “Some clubs from Saudi [Arabia] were willing to offer Garnacho really big money, but no chance, and for Garnacho it is really easy… he goes to Chelsea, or he goes to Man Utd out of the squad.

“That remains the case, Garnacho is not scared about that, and his priority is very clear: Chelsea Football Club.”

On Thursday, Ben Jacobs issued a further update on the situation when he spoke on The United Stand, explaining how Chelsea need to resolve Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku’s situations before moving forward in their pursuit of Garnacho and Xavi Simons.

Jacobs also reported that Chelsea’s opening bid for Garnacho will be close to £30m rather than United’s asking price of at least £50m.

And that wasn’t all, as Jacobs went on to reveal how Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Strasbourg, was also mentioned in discussions between the clubs.

Andrey Santos in action for Chelsea (Credit:Getty)

Jacobs said: “Andrey Santos has been spoken about, I don’t think it’s going to lead anywhere because Chelsea don’t want to sell. That’s another player that Manchester United appreciates, it’s nothing more than that at this stage.”

Santos, 21, signed for Chelsea from Vasco da Gama for a reported fee of £18m back in January 2023 before being loaned back to the Brazilian club.

The 21-year-old then joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan in August 2023 but returned early in January 2024 after making just one appearance for the East Midlands outfit.

Santos finally made his Chelsea debut against Tunis at the Club World Cup earlier this summer before playing against Crystal Palace in the Blues' Premier League opener last weekend.