After a difficult few weeks, Alejandro Garnacho finally got the chance to start for Manchester United in their FA Cup third-round game against Arsenal on Sunday.
And he followed up his assist against Liverpool last week with yet another one as he set up Bruno Fernandes to score United’s spectacular opener.
And despite going down to 10 men, United took the game to penalties and clinched the tie with the Argentine doing a lot off the ball, as demanded by Ruben Amorim.
The Peoples Person has already relayed Napoli’s interest in the Argentina international with the Serie A giants even lodging a bid for the 20-year-old.
Garnacho shone vs Arsenal
However, given Garnacho’s improvement in form, United have asked for around £60 million, which might be difficult for Antonio Conte’s men to afford.
And as per TBR Football, the Italian giants would much prefer Marcus Rashford over the 20-year-old as they seek to replace the outgoing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who seems to be Paris Saint-Germain bound.
United’s hopes of a swap deal are unlikely to materialise however. And the Naples club will not find it easy to convince both United stars as they are dreaming of a Spanish adventure instead.
“Argentina international is admired by Napoli, but would prefer a move to La Liga. Sources add that Napoli themselves do not view Garnacho as their number one choice either, with those in Naples preferring to seal a deal for Rashford ahead of the South American.
“If Napoli are to sign Rashford – however – they will have to fend off strong competition. TBR Football understand West Ham are pushing to sign Rashford on loan for Graham Potter – while AC Milan are also keen on the England international.
Napoli prefer Rashford over Garnacho
“For those wondering if either Garnacho or Rashford could be used in a swap deal with Kvaratskhelia, Manchester United sources have played down any suggestion of that happening.
“Crucially, sources have also informed TBR Football that Rashford would prefer a move to Spain too – like Garnacho. Therefore, it feels as if Napoli will have to persuade one of the Manchester United forwards to change their outlook on a move to Italy if a deal is going to progress this month.”
Judging from his display against the Gunners and the adulation he got from the away fans, Garnacho does not look to be leaving anytime soon.
Rashford has not played for the club since the Manchester derby and he has already declared his intention to leave. With INEOS eyeing pure profit to deal with PSR concerns, the Mancunian seems the club’s best bet at the moment.
Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
