Man Utd to accept improved Alejandro Garnacho bid after winger’s shock exit plea

Manchester United have rejected an opening bid from Napoli for Alejandro Garnacho worth £40m, though a report has named the price that will seal a deal after the winger warmed to an exit, according to reports.

To free up room and funds for a sweeping squad rebuild, Man Utd must make difficult decisions on the players already at their disposal. While the club will readily part ways with the likes of Casemiro, Antony and Marcus Rashford, they’re also open to parting ways with academy graduates Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – for the right price, of course.

Today’s update regards Garnacho who is courting strong interest from Napoli. Tottenham too have been linked with a move, though it’s Napoli who have acted first.

Antonio Conte’s side are in the market for a new left winger to take the place Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is about to vacate.

The Georgian ace is expected to complete his €70m-plus transfer to PSG on Friday and Napoli require a readymade and impactful replacement.

Garnacho has quickly emerged as Conte’s No 1 target, with Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg confirming club-to-club talks between Man Utd and Napoli are underway.

And according to a fresh update from The Mirror, Napoli have seen a bid worth £40m knocked back by Man Utd. However, the story is not likely to end there.

It’s claimed Man Utd ‘have told the Serie A side it will take £60m to land Garnacho this month.’ As such, Napoli now know the exact bid they must make to unlock a deal, with Man Utd reportedly determined to hold firm at that price point.

But encouragingly for Napoli, The Mirror also brought news of Garnacho not only wanting out of Man Utd, but giving the thumbs up to signing for the Italian side too.

‘Garnacho is keen to leave Old Trafford, and is keen on a move to Naples.’ stated the report.

But as mentioned, Man Utd intend to ‘play hardball’ on the fee and as yet, are insisting on their £60m valuation being met.

If Napoli bite the bullet and pay up, Garnacho will be off to Naples and United will receive a significant windfall that can kickstart their January window from an arrivals perspective.

The proceeds from the sales of homegrown stars are logged as ‘pure profit’ on the books. As such, those types of deals greatly enhance a side’s spending power in the market.

Alejandro Garnacho ‘agrees’ personal terms with Napoli

Adding further fuel to the fire are Calciomercato’s claims Garnacho has already agreed personal terms with Napoli.

But in the event a Garnacho deal were to fall through or Napoli don’t meet Man Utd’s valuation, manager Ruben Amorim has outlined what the player must do if remaining at Old Trafford.

“That is clear [that Garnacho has a big future]. He has talent. He needs to learn to play in a different position. He needs to play better inside,” said Amorim ahead of United’s clash with Southampton.

“He improves a lot in the recovering position when he doesn’t have the ball. But doing that, sometimes he’s not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past.

“I prefer to defend and then build up with the entire team to reach the final third. He’s finding the best way to play in this system.

“He’s improving during training. He started the last game. Let’s see [on Thursday]. I think he changed the way he sees himself.”

Latest Man Utd news – Darwin Nunez, Antony, Marcus Rashford

In other news, remarkable reports in Spain claim Man Utd have surged to the front of the queue to sign Darwin Nunez from Liverpool.

The Reds are open to selling Nunez if they can recoup most of the £64m (rising to £85m) they paid Benfica two-and-a-half years ago.

Elsewhere, Man Utd are in talks to offload Antony via the loan route, while Marcus Rashford has chosen his next club after Sir Jim Ratcliffe vetoed four exit routes.