Manchester United came very close to selling Alejandro Garnacho in January and it seems those plans remain in motion for the upcoming summer window.
The Argentine won over Ruben Amorim with both his off-field and on-pitch performances with the head coach vouching for his stay in front of the INEOS board.
That ultimately meant the United No 17 ended up staying put and has continued to impress the coach, as seen from his match-saving cameo in the FA Cup tie against Leicester City.
But United’s PSR situation shows no signs of improvement and with the backline continuing to leak goals, the Portuguese tactician needs all the help he can get ahead of next season.
Balde on United’s radar
Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has emerged as a prime target for Amorim, who has been impressed with the 21-year-old’s versatile displays for the Catalan giants.
The Spaniard excels as a left-back but can also play further forward and with Patrick Dorgu seemingly being set to be used primarily as a right wingback, the left side remains in need of reinforcements given Diogo Dalot’s struggles.
Chelsea had come close to coughing up £70 million for the Argentina international while Napoli twice failed with their attempts at landing the 20-year-old.
Given his recent form, Garnacho’s stocks remain high and he is expected to generate a lot of interest in the summer and his sale could potentially open up the chance to secure the Barca prodigy as per Givemesport.
Balde’s current market value stands at €50 million (via Transfermarkt) and the Spanish side will ask for more given United’s interest. He has one goal and six assists already this season.
Garnacho could be sold
The Red Devils are also in need of a striker and a midfielder and will need to move players on and Garnacho seems the most sellable asset at the moment. Not to mention his homegrown status means pure profit.
“Manchester United could sanction Garnacho’s exit in the summer in a bid to generate additional funds to make a high-profile signing, according to GMS sources, with Barcelona left-back Balde among the names on their radar as a potential acquisition despite strengthening their defensive options a matter of days ago.
“GMS sources have been told that Manchester United are keeping their options open after coming to terms with the fact that a departure may be necessary in order to facilitate a formal offer for Spain international Balde, who has worked his way onto Amorim’s radar thanks to his performances in a Barcelona shirt.”
United should ideally keep a hold of their most in-form attacker but INEOS seem to be under immense financial pressure as seen from all the latest job cuts and anything is possible in the summer. No player seems to be safe from the cull.
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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
