Manchester United have been boxed into a corner and have agreed a sale for Alejandro Garnacho.
Alejandro Garnacho is set to leave Manchester United, with a fee agreed with Chelsea. The key details are as follows.
£40 million
10 per cent sell-on clause
The Standard report Garnacho is set to undergo a medical with Chelsea over the next 24 hours.
This is not a deal Manchester United should be proud of, by any measure.
Alejandro Garnacho kisses the Manchester United badge and points
Photo by James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho was worth more than £40 million
Alejandro Garnacho was a FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United in 2022, who the club had incredibly high hopes for.
Prior to a fallout with current head coach Ruben Amorim, he was well on track. Garnacho proved to be a poor fit for the coach’s system, and struggled to handle adversity for the first time in his career.
Garnacho’s actions led to him being forced out at United, and he is taking a mighty gamble by joining a club in Chelsea who will see him as an investment rather than a footballer.
He is a player who has already achieved a lot in his short career at Manchester United, recently turning 21.
26 goals in 144 games
23 combined goals/assists in 24/25
FA Youth Cup winner
Puskas Award winner
Scored in FA Cup Final victory
Argentina international
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Where the Alejandro Garnacho sale really hurts Manchester United is the price. Just £40 million is inefficient for a player of his quality and potential.
United began the summer with a £70 million price tag set for Alejandro Garnacho, and have had to climb down massively on a player who was under contract through to 2028.
All summer long we have seen players of a similar or weaker quality, with less or equal potential to Garnacho be sold for higher fees. And this highlights how badly United have managed this sale.
Tyler Dibling to Everton: £40 million
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to Chelsea: £51 million
Noni Madueke to Arsenal: £52 million
Anthony Elanga to Newcastle: £55 million
The 10 per cent sell-on clause should bring a little more to United when Chelsea decide to flip him for a higher fee, but realistically, United are probably looking at an extra £7 million maximum.
United gamble on Amorim looking shaky, hoping for addition by subtraction
Manchester United have taken a gamble by cashing in on a player who has been productive in poor teams. Garnacho is a player who made things happen, he was raw and imperfect, but he was an exciting talent who got fans off their feet.
United’s decision to sell Garnacho was a case of giving full backing to Ruben Amorim, who could not stand for being undermined by the youngster.
The Red Devils are hoping that by removing Garnacho from the squad, and other players who are not committed, then it will be addition by subtraction, ensuring all the players left are pulling in the right direction.
However, with results so poor early this season, Manchester United’s all-in bet on Ruben Amorim is looking shaky.
If Amorim lasts the season and stays long-term, then the sale of Garnacho was the right call. But if the head coach gets fired or resigns, then this will really backfire.
There is a strong likelihood that Amorim’s successor would play a more common 4-3-3 system, and be in need of an electrifying winger like Alejandro Garnacho, and United will have to pay heavily for one. A loan move might have been more prudent.
Manchester United player sales have been consistently poor
It is not a new phenomenon that Manchester United are bad at selling players. Alejandro Garnacho is the first player sold for a fee this summer.
The £40 million fee is below the amount United wanted, and yet this is still Manchester United’s fourth-highest player sale of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo: £80 million
Romelu Lukaku: £73 million
Angel di Maria: £44 million
Garnacho would overtake Scott McTominay at £25.7 million as the club’s highest academy sale of all time, and while this is ‘pure profit’ with PSR, it should not be dressed up as an overwhelming success.
United will feel glad to have fought off Chelsea’s attempts to sign Garnacho for £25-35 million, but their lowballing does not mean £40 million is a deal to be proud of.