Chelsea have agreed a £40 million deal to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United, with the agreement also including a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
The fee makes Garnacho the fourth-most expensive sale in United’s history, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Ángel Di María, and their biggest-ever transfer of an academy graduate.
How the Deal Was Done
United initially valued the 20-year-old winger at £50m, while Chelsea began negotiations with a £25m offer.
After weeks of talks, both clubs settled on a £40m compromise — a figure United view as pragmatic business and their highest sale fee in five years.
Garnacho, who pushed strongly for the move, turned down offers from elsewhere to join Chelsea.
He had been informed at the end of last season that he could leave and has not been training with Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad.
United sources are understood to be content with the deal, which they believe works well for both the club and the player.
Solhekol: “United very happy with Garnacho business”
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol said:
“It’s all been sorted out now. It’s a £40m fixed fee, plus a 10 per cent sell-on. This is the largest ever sale for a Manchester United academy product. From United’s perspective, they’re very, very happy — it’s a very good deal for a player who didn’t really have a future at the club.”
Amorim: “Talented Garnacho has not worked out”
Speaking earlier this summer, United head coach Ruben Amorim acknowledged Garnacho’s talent but admitted the relationship hadn’t clicked:
“You can see he’s a really talented boy, and sometimes things don’t work out. I think it’s clear that Garnacho wants something different with different leadership, and I can understand that. Sometimes you adapt to one guy, other times you want a new challenge. We tried to make everything OK for all parties — the club, the coach and the player. It’s a natural thing in football.”