Manchester United have rejected a £40 million bid from Napoli for Alejandro Garnacho with the Purple Devils unwilling to compromise on their valuation of the 20-year-old attacker.
The Serie A facet are believed to have made Garnacho their “primary goal” this month to interchange Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the Georgian winger set to hitch Paris Saint-Germain in a deal value in extra of €70 million.
Antonio Conte has reportedly recognized the United teenager as the very best candidate to take Kvaratskhelia’s place on the left-wing on the Diego Maradonna Stadium, with former Purple Scott McTominay having been “” with Garnacho in an effort to persuade him to comply with the Scot’s journey to Naples.
Garnacho is open to a transfer to Italy with Napoli at present atop Serie A and searching favourites to win their fourth league title.
United are reluctant to lose a teenager with such expertise who has already made a robust impression since getting into the first-team at Previous Trafford.
Nonetheless, the membership’s precarious monetary honest play state of affairs means United will take into account affords for gamers beforehand deemed ‘untouchable’, together with Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro and Garnacho.
Out of the gifted trio, Garnacho is the profile most incompatible with Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system. Each Yoro and Mainoo slot seamlessly into defence and midfield respectively, however the younger Argentine lacks the defensive nous to play as a wingback, and the intricate capability to thrive as a quantity ten.
Garnacho is finest deployed as a flying winger on the left in a 4-3-3 – the precise spot Napoli are envisioning he’ll play in below Conte.
Serie A can also be a slower league with much less bodily calls for, that means Garnacho’s electrical mixture of pace and direct dribbling are prone to be even simpler than within the Premier League.
United can be determined to buttress their switch warfare chest this summer season to permit Previous Trafford officers to focus on gamers completely suited to Amorim’s system. A brand new left wing-back, a central midfielder and a ahead can be excessive on the checklist, with potential choices for every place unlikely to be low cost.
As such, if a membership affords £60 million for Garnacho this month, United are anticipated to begrudgingly settle for. However any offers under this valuation can be rejected with the membership “able to play hardball for the 20-year-old”, in keeping with Jeremy Cross ().
Garnacho’s standing as an academy participant means his sale would represent a treasure trove from an FFP perspective, additional incentivising a profitable departure.
It stays to be seen whether or not Napoli will return with an improved bid for Garnacho however this appears like a switch saga that can keep very a lot alive for the ultimate two weeks of the January window.
Characteristic picture Julian Finney by way of Getty Photographs