Reports have emerged saying that Arsenal both rejected the chance to sign Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.
The Gunners have been very active this summer, improving in defence, midfield and attack. Their marquee signing was striker Viktor Gyokeres, who at £64m, is a big investment. However, the Gunners have been crying out for a number nine, and he could provide them with a significant number of goals.
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Furthermore, they signed Noni Madueke to help with depth behind Bukayo Saka, but it seems they chose Madueke over Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho according to new reports.
Reliable Manchester Evening News Journalist Samuel Luckhurst revealed that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid all decided against signing Garnacho this summer, even though they had the chance to sign the 20-year-old.
Would Garnacho have been a better choice for Arsenal than Madueke?
Arsenal paid £52m for Madueke from Chelsea, slightly more than Man United are expecting to sell Garnacho for this summer. Last season, Madueke made 32 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
Meanwhile, Garnacho made 36 appearances for United, scoring six goals, and providing two assists, so he had a marginally worse year. However, the Argentine is three years younger than Madueke, which means he could potentially have more development in him.
However, at Man United, Garnacho’s attitude has emerged as a problem. It would have been a significant risk for Mikel Arteta to sign someone who could have potentially disrupted the dressing room of a title-battling Premier League team.
Where could Garnacho go?
The 20-year-old looks close to joining Chelsea, ironically, as Madueke’s replacement to help with depth as the Blues will be in the Champions League this season.
He is expected to cost up to £50m, but there is the belief that the longer Chelsea leave it, the cheaper the winger could become nearer the end of the transfer window.
Several other teams have previously been credited with interest such as Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli, but a move to Stamford Bridge seems inevitable for the winger.
Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad ahead of the new season.