Manchester United are on the brink of approving the departure of the second member of their infamous ‘bomb squad’.
At the start of pre-season, Marcus Rashford, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, and Jadon Sancho were all told to pack their bags and find new clubs.
Rashford secured a loan move to Barcelona and now Garnacho looks set to follow him out of Old Trafford.
According to The Telegraph, United and Chelsea are close to agreeing terms with Garnacho in a deal worth up to £40 million.
The 21-year-old has no future under Ruben Amorim and has his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge.
A moral defeat for Man United
The Red Devils have long been criticised for selling their stars cheaply, and Garnacho’s departure for just £40m looks like history repeating itself.
If confirmed, his transfer would rank as United’s fourth-biggest outgoing sale, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, and Angel Di Maria.
Had United been buying a player of Garnacho’s quality, they would almost certainly have been forced to cough up a fee north of £60m.
The club initially slapped a £70m price tag on Garnacho, but eventually lowered it to £50m in a bid to attract genuine interest.
Chelsea played hardball when United came calling for Mason Mount two summers ago.
They rejected three separate bids before finally forcing United to meet their £60m valuation.
United have caved too quickly. Either they should have stood firm on their original asking price or kept Garnacho in the reserves until January.
By selling their star forward to a Premier League rival cheaply, INEOS have shown they are no better than the previous hierarchy in negotiations.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com