Alejandro Garnacho is ‘open to leaving’ Manchester United in January amidst interest from his former club Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe previously deemed Garnacho one of three ‘untouchable’ Red Devils players along with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund but appears to have changed his stance.

The 20-year-old Argentina international joined Man Utd from Atletico Madrid for a measly £400,000 in July 2022 and is one of the club’s only good signings made post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

There has been lots of speculation about a return to Atletico, with Garnacho yet to find his place under new Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim.

He was notably omitted from the matchday squad to face Manchester City last month but has since featured under Amorim, unlike Marcus Rashford, who was also dropped via WhatsApp for the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Selling Garnacho would contradict Ratcliffe’s long-term plan of buying and building around their young stars, with Garnacho one of the most promising youngsters at the club.

However, the former Atletico teenager is ‘open’ to a ‘sensational return’ to the Spanish capital, where he was born.

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This according to TheBootRoom correspondent Graeme Bailey, who says Garnacho ‘is frustrated with life under Ruben Amorim so far’ and is willing to depart Man Utd this month.

Amorim is yet to find a place for the youngster in his starting XI but does ‘highly rate’ him.

As do the Man Utd hierarchy, but ‘neither party will stand in his way if he wishes to leave’.

Garnacho could be sold for huge profit, which would hugely benefit the Red Devils in their attempts to navigate the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

While the player is open to the transfer, Atletico ‘remain very interested’ and ‘are keeping a close eye on his situation’ at Old Trafford.

The La Liga giants also hold an interest in Rashford. They could make an approach to take him on loan and ‘hold him in high esteem’.

Garnacho is their top choice, though, and will be ready to pounce ‘if the opportunity presents itself to them’.

As mentioned already, Ratcliffe deemed Garnacho and two Man Utd team-mates ‘untouchable’ last year but his stance ‘has done a complete 180’ having decided he will listen to offers for any player.

This report comes after it was claimed that Kobbie Mainoo is no longer untouchable and has interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

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After ex-Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly ‘offered himself’ to Chelsea, here’s our ranking of his six options based on likelihood…

6) Manchester United
A third stint at Man Utd for the egotistical man-child after he appeared to burn bridges at the end of his ill-fated second spell at Old Trafford, evidently spitting his dummy out as Erik ten Hag rightly preferred younger alternatives? What could possibly go wrong?

You could argue his first season was a success as he scored 24 goals across all competitions, but his presence made Ole Gunnar Solskajer’s team worse before the first six months of the 2022/23 campaign was a self-inflicted disaster he could not help make worse.

With Ronaldo in the final six months of his contract, he is back in the transfer conversation and he reportedly ‘has a desire to return to Europe’.

Rightly or wrongly, Man Utd will get a mention given their past links with Ronaldo, but his chances of putting on their red shirt (barring the odd testimonial) should be over.

Ronaldo turns 40 next month and the prospect of a third spell at Old Trafford as a player is slim at best, but one of his ex-United fanboys has floated the idea of him returning as a coach and this is more likely, especially with Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim in the dugout instead of his least favourite bald Dutchman.

READ: So-called ‘world record’ holder Cristiano Ronaldo has actually scored zero proper goals for Portugal

5) Chelsea
Having bemoaned Man Utd’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Ronaldo’s lack of options in Europe led to him taking the Saudi mega bucks, but Chelsea were one of few suitors. At the time, Thomas Tuchel pushed back on the transfer wanted by co-owner Todd Boehly and it fell through.

Ronaldo headed into 2023 with European options in the single figures, while he starts 2025 with even fewer possibilities. It feels like Chelsea remains the only Premier League club he could conceivably join.

Chelsea’s hierarchy infuriated supporters with their transfer activity in the summer as they failed to land a world-class striker after missing out on Victor Osimhen; Nicolas Jackson’s stunning start to the season silenced those naysayers, though his (and his side’s) ongoing dip in form has seen panic stations revisited.

While the Ronaldo glamour signing would tempt some of Chelsea’s more naive executives, it undermines the transfer model established – rightly or wrongly – under Boehly; they are better off waiting to land Osimhen/Viktor Osimhen in the summer.

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4) Paris Saint-Germain
It is somewhat surprising that Ronaldo is yet to have a spell at PSG given their vast wealth and past obsession with hoarding all-star forwards; he could have potentially lined up alongside Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Despite previously being linked with PSG, Ronaldo did not make the move as Juventus were his left-field destination post-Real Madrid before he returned to Man Utd.

PSG previously rolled over and had their tummies tickled by a domineering Mbappe as their Champions League obsession overcame them, but this was to their detriment as they failed even with the best front three (on paper) in Europe.

Mbappe’s exit to Real Madrid (which has so far been mixed) has been a blessing in disguise for PSG, who have taken a step back with their transfer approach to apply a focus on building around promising French talents rather than ego-driven superstars. So Ronaldo’s chances of playing for the French giants have likely been and gone.

3) Sporting Lisbon
Realistically, 39-year-old Ronaldo has a maximum of one more transfer before he retires and only a couple of seasons of playing football (presumably until the World Cup) before he finally calls it a day.

This – plus the fact that his move to Saudi Arabia has damaged his reputation – means his options are limited, as the days of being a long-term option for potential suitors are over.

But Sporting Lisbon are presumably one team willing to give Ronaldo a call and this move would enable him to finish his career where it began.

Sporting have followed a similar path to Ajax post-Ten Hag following Amorim’s exit as they have already sacked a manager amid a slump in league form. They are also at risk of losing their best players this year and Ronaldo could fill the goalscoring shoes left by Gyokeres, who increasingly looks Premier League-bound.

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2) MLS
The Saudi Pro League destination have stolen the MLS’ thunder as the peak destination for money-hungry footballers to briefly call home en route to retirement, though Messi’s move to Inter Miami has reinvigorated the division as him and his former Barcelona pals have attracted more eyes to the once-floundering league.

The possible arrival of Kevin De Bruyne in 2025 could be a further boost, but you’d imagine clubs would be queueing up to land Ronaldo to set up a last hurrah of his storied rivalry with Messi.

Particularly in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, Ronaldo reuniting with Messi would be the perfect marketing opportunity for MLS chiefs to build buzz before the major tournament, though he does already have a similar ambassadorial role for Saudi before they host in 2034.

1) Retirement…then coaching
Ronaldo clearly has very few elite options and any transfer would be a short-term gig. Also, he’s already had his ambassador hat on in trying to sell the Saudi Pro League to the masses, suggesting the division is “better than” Ligue Un.

This claim has not sat well with supporters of the so-called ‘Farmer’s League’, but it indicates Ronaldo is getting along pretty fine in the Saudi Pro League and is not guaranteed to pursue one more move before hanging up his boots.

Ronaldo relishes being the belle of the ball and the Saudi Pro League are treating him as such.

So it feels most likely that we will continue in Saudi for another year or two before riding into the sunset, which – in other words – means he will turn to coaching after previously showing an appetite for the role while hobbling in the dugout during the Euro 2016 final. Perhaps even starting with Man Utd…?

According to reports, Kobbie Mainoo is ‘unhappy’ with Manchester United’s ‘initial’ contract offer amid interest from Premier League giants Chelsea.

The United academy product enjoyed a remarkable breakout season in 2023/24 as he shone for his boyhood club and England.

Mainoo has endured a slow start to this season as it’s appeared he’s suffered from burn-out, but he produced a brilliant performance against Liverpool in the 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday.

Despite this, it’s emerged that Man Utd have opened the door to letting Mainoo leave as this pure profit sale could potentially significantly boost Ruben Amorim’s budget.

On Tuesday night, a report revealed the ‘truth’ about Mainoo’s future with two reasons for opening the transfer door amid interest from Chelsea, who are ‘leading’ the race to sign him.

It’s understood that United’s preference would be to keep Mainoo, but they could be forced into a sale if the conditions are right. The 19-year-old is under contract until 2027 and talks over a new deal have taken place.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo: Man Utd bottom of next move likelihood ranking including Chelsea, PSG

A report from Manchester United News claims Mainoo is ‘unhappy with the initial terms United have offered for a new contract amid sudden uncertainty over his future’.

It is also noted that they ‘do not want to drive him out of the club’, while a report from The Guardian explains why Man Utd have changed their stance on selling Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.

The report claims the three players were previously ‘deemed untouchable’, but this is no longer the case with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘recognising’ that they have been ‘poor sellers’.

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The Guardian’s report explained:

‘With finance limited because of profitability and sustainability rules, sales have to become a key part of healthy squad management.

‘This means a credible bid for Mainoo, Garnacho or Højlund will be countenanced, along with offers for any other player, including last summer’s recruits, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee.

‘Under Erik ten Hag, Amorim’s predecessor, Mainoo, Garnacho, Højlund were considered non-sellable. All are still viewed as key squad members so although an offer would be listened to a sale would not necessarily be approved.

‘United’s lack of funds means Mainoo and Garnacho, as homegrown players, would represent 100% profit under PSR. The squad is in transition as Amorim, who took over in October, seeks to fully implement his 3-4-3 system and make signings suited to this.

‘Mainoo has been discussed at Chelsea, who have not ruled out moving for him, but their interest is yet to advance. The London club’s focus is on defensive additions, with the and they hope they can buy back Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace.’

Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Manuel Ugarte, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot for their performances against Liverpool.

The Red Devils took a shock lead at Anfield on Sunday with Lisandro Martinez firing a shot in off the crossbar – but Liverpool were level within seven minutes when Cody Gakpo cut inside and curled in a lovely effort.

Mohamed Salah then converted a penalty for the Reds with 20 minutes of the match remaining before Man Utd winger Amad Diallo ensured there would be one last twist as the Ivorian equalised late on in a 2-2 draw.

And Man Utd legend Ferdinand was impressed by Ruben Amorim’s side against the Premier League leaders with the result moving the Red Devils up to 13th in the table.

Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “I thought yesterday was the first game that I’ve seen where it all came together as one in terms of effort, application, desire, commitment, which was a requirement here.

“If you’re going to get a result at Anfield then you need all of those, but also composure with the ball in possession, playing out and playing through the lines and also creating chances.

“Those three different elements haven’t fitted in together seamlessly in any one game yet really. This was the game where it all came together.

“I was just happy with the commitment because to get a result there you need to be committed and the manager’s words afterwards, it wasn’t about tactics, it was about effort more or less.

“For any player now hearing that, you know where you stand.”

Picking out individual players for praise, Ferdinand added: “I thought Ugarte was brilliant yesterday. I thought Mazraoui was brilliant, Dalot was top yesterday.

“But I don’t want to see good seven or eight out of ten this week and then four or five out of ten next week. That’s the benchmark, let’s keep it there and maintain it.

“It’s easy to get up for Anfield. Where you’re going to get your questions answered, really, is Southampton next week.

“But what they have to go back to is: what got us that result? We f***ing grafted, we got after people.

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“Sir Alex Ferguson said one of the proudest thing about all his teams was when the manager of an opposition team would come into his office after a game and go, ‘Phwoar, as good as your players are, all these names you’ve got, they run like a Conference team’.

“So going back to that, making sure that’s on point, will put these guys in a good place.”

Zirkzee missed a golden opportunity to test Alisson towards the end of the game and chose to pass to Harry Maguire instead, with the centre-back blazing the bobbling ball over the crossbar.

And Ferdinand was far from happy that the Man Utd forward decided to pass rather than shoot, he said: “After all of it, I would have gone in the changing room and gone, ‘Bruv, what type of stupidness was that?! What type of pass was that?! We could have won the game!’.

“But Zirkzee is lacking in confidence so he [Maguire] ain’t going to do that. It’s detail, bro. You know what it’s like? Talk to somebody like you want to be talked to. Pass how you want to receive. Same thing.”