It’s been a busy summer for Manchester United, but only in the way of incomings so far. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have both penned deals with the Old Trafford outfit, with a move for Benjamin Sesko expected to be finalised in the coming days.
The Red Devils are also being tipped to enter the market for a midfielder, with Carlos Baleba mooted as a possible candidate. However, with the new season just one week away, United are yet to wave goodbye to any players on permanent deals, meaning Ruben Amorim is likely to start the campaign with a bloated squad.
Alejandro Garnacho is among the United stars to be linked with an exit this summer, having reportedly fallen out with manager Amorim following last season’s Europa League final defeat. Chelsea have been circling around the talented attacker, with The Athletic reporting the capital club could have accelerated talks.
While Garnacho leaving United won’t come as a surprise to most, the terms surrounding his exit have raised a few eyebrows. It was initially claimed that United would want £70million to part ways with Garnacho, but reports circulating suggest the eventual fee could be as little as £40million instead.
If true, it would expose a major flaw in United’s transfer strategy and one their Premier League rivals have shown themselves to be much better at. Garnacho is under contract until the summer of 2028, isn’t believed to be among the highest Old Trafford earners and has featured close to 100 times in the Premier League.
The issue for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS is that no European football has left them tied with their hands behind their backs. Amorim has seemingly made it clear he doesn’t want the player, who himself wants to leave before the September 1 deadline.
At 21 years old, his best years as a professional appear to be ahead of him, yet United could be looking at a fee close to half of their initial valuation. By contrast, Chelsea look set to pocket a combined total of £45m for both Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja, who between the pair of them, have made just 53 senior appearances for the club. Similarly, both Liverpool and Manchester City have also excelled at the selling side of the market.
It’s an astonishing return for two players with relatively little top-flight experience, compared to Garnacho, who will be pushing for a spot in Argentina’s World Cup squad next summer. In the era of PSR and FFP, it’s an area of the transfer market United have to improve in, or risk being left even further behind.