Manchester United target £52m Chelsea star in Alejandro Garnacho swap

Manchester United are considering a swap deal with Chelsea involving Alejandro Garnacho and Christopher Nkunku, according to reports.

Chelsea held talks to sign Garnacho in the January transfer window but were unable to reach an agreement with United, who had lowered their asking price to €65 million (£54.8m).

After being dropped for the Europa League final, Garnacho took aim at Ruben Amorim and indicated after the defeat to Spurs in Bilbao that his future is in doubt.

Amorim then made it clear to Garnacho that he should find a new club in the summer transfer window and was left out of the squad for United’s final Premier League game of the season last month.

Nkunku, meanwhile, has struggled to secure a regular role at Chelsea since his £52m move from RB Leipzig in 2023.

The 27-year-old started just nine games in the Premier League last season and was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s victory against Real Betis in the Conference League final.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea and United are now considering a swap deal involving the two players as they are both looking to leave their clubs this summer.

United had considered signing Nkunku in January but the French forward turned down a potential loan move.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich also enquired about Nkunku earlier this year but did not follow up their interest with Chelsea.

Garnacho, meanwhile, has angered United fans after he posed for a photo on holiday while wearing an Aston Villa shirt with Marcus Rashford’s name and number on the back.

When asked about his future after United’s defeat in the Europa League final, Garnacho said: ‘The game has an impact, but the season itself, the club’s situation… I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.’

Napoli had also held advanced talks to sign Garnacho in January as a replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a €70m (£58.9m) deal.

However, the Serie A champions claimed that Garnacho’s wage demands were not in line with the rest of their squad.

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