Maresca has areas to improve this summerMaresca has areas to improve this summer
Maresca has areas to improve this summer | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea now know how much they will have to pay for one of their reported winger targets.
If the Blues draw, they will have to rely on Aston Villa failing to win or Newcastle United losing, while Enzo Maresca’s men simply cannot afford to lose. Champions League football is worth a great deal to Chelsea, and it could shape their summer transfer business.
New signings are more likely to want to make the move to Stamford Bridge if there is Champions League football, while the financial benefits of qualifying for the competition will free up spending space when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules.
That could prove vital given Chelsea have a few areas in which they need to strengthen this summer. Maresca is going to want a centre-back, winger and striker this summer as they look to close the gap on champions Liverpool and anyone else who will finish above them.
One player Chelsea have been regularly linked with is Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho. The Blues were tipped to sign the 20-year-old in the winter window, but a deal never campe to fruition.
Garnacho has made 58 appearances for United across all competitions this season, but it has been a disastrous campaign, and the winger might feel he is better served joining a club closer to winning silverware. The Argentine may also be ticked off that he started on the bench for United’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday night despite being one of the club’s most productive players, scoring 11 and assisting 10 this season.
The youngster said after the game: "Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don't know. The final will influence [my decision] but the whole season, the situation of the club. I'm going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards."
Meanwhile, Garnacho’s brother Roberto posted on social media: "Working as no-one else, helping every round, coming from two goals in the last two finals, just to be on the pitch for 19 mins and get thrown under the bus.”
Garnacho asking price
According to The Telegraph, United will be willing to sell Garnacho this summer, but not on the cheap. There may be public murmurings about the winger and Amorim not seeing eye-to-eye, but United know the Argentine has plenty of potential at just 20 years of age.
The report claims United will ask for £60million to sell Garnacho, and Chelsea could see that as a pricey transfer given they also need a striker and a centre-back this summer. Then again, such a price is to be expected for a player who is still so young and yet plenty experienced in the Premier League and Europe.
The Red Devils will also be aware of the dangers of selling to a Premier League rival, and whether they do or not may yet depend on Amorim’s future, with the United boss already under significant pressure.
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