Alejandro Garnacho is one of five Manchester United players who have been told they have no future at the club - but a move to Napoli looks to be off the table
08:32, 08 Jul 2025
HONG KONG, CHINA - MAY 30: Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United looks up prior to the match between Manchester United and Hong Kong at Hong Kong Stadium on May 30, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Thomas Tang/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Alejandro Garnacho's Man Utd exit is proving to not be straightforward(Image: Eurasia Sport Images, Getty Images)
Alejandro Garnacho has been on the radar of Italian club Napoli for nearly a year.
The Serie A champions had a £40m offer for the Argentinian winger turned down in January. At that time, they were eyeing the 21-year-old as a replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian sensation who had just transferred to PSG - where he would go on to win the Champions League just five months later.
Despite issues with Garnacho's attitude and social media activity, United chose to retain him. After being left out of the starting line-up for the Manchester derby victory in December, it seemed his days at Old Trafford were numbered.
However, Garnacho buckled down, became a key player in Ruben Amorim's squad and saw plenty of action in the latter half of the season - until the final weeks.
His exclusion from the Europa League final and subsequent reaction proved to be the last straw for Amorim, who informed Garnacho that he would need to find a new club this summer.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United acknowledges the fans after the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Garnacho's days at Old Trafford appear to be over(Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Article continues below
The Argentina international is now one of five players that the club have instructed not to return for pre-season training as they look for opportunities elsewhere. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia are also on this list.
Out of these five, Garnacho is the one that United could demand the highest fee for. He's the youngest of the group, has proven himself at United and doesn't command a £350k-a-week wage like Rashford.
Indeed, his deal is increasingly key for the club's accounts, because his sale equates to pure profit. The current issue however is that while there's been plenty of speculation around potential suitors - Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Napoli and Juventus to name four - none have come forward with an offer.
Chelsea have turned to Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund as well as £60m Brighton striker Joao Pedro in recent days, Juventus like Jadon Sancho and have landed Jonathan David in forward positions.
And now Napoli have turned to £24million PSV Eindhoven star Noa Lang, with an agreement finally reached between the two clubs.
Article continues below
As such, the door on a move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium for Garnacho appears to have been firmly closed.
United must keep searching for a buyer to give them what they want. But selling Garnacho across Europe this summer is starting to look harder than it previously did.
And if the player was thinking of being the next Scott McTominay in Naples, he may need to think again.