Chelsea have been told Alejandro Garnacho should be the player to leave if the club decides to move someone on this summer, putting the 21-year-old forward at the centre of another transfer call. The suggestion arrives as Chelsea prepare to bring in Xabi Alonso as their new boss and weigh up which players fit the next phase.
It is Garnacho who has suddenly become the focus because Chelsea are not short of reasons to rethink their attack. He arrived from Manchester United in a £40million deal last August and finished last season with eight goals and four assists, but his return was uneven in the competitions that mattered most: once in 24 Premier League appearances and once in nine Champions League outings. That record has left him as the name being singled out, not just because of what he has done, but because of what Chelsea are now being asked to decide.
For Manchester United, the matter is not simply about whether Chelsea keep or sell him. United included a 10 per cent sell-on clause when Garnacho left, after initially wanting £50m for the winger. Any future move would therefore send money back to Old Trafford, a detail that gives the question of his future a direct financial edge for a club that let him go only last summer.
Danny Murphy has already made the case plainly, saying Chelsea would be best off parting with Garnacho rather than Liam Delap. He said a new manager first has to give players a chance to prove what they can do, but added that clubs also have to live with the reality that not every player will attract a buyer willing to match wages and fees. Murphy said Garnacho has struggled and that the fans have not taken to him, while also arguing that Chelsea’s wide players have struggled overall and that only Joao Pedro has really stood out in the front line.
That is where the friction sits. Garnacho remains under contract until 2032, so Chelsea are not dealing with a player on the edge of expiry or a quick fix they can easily move on. They are being told to consider selling a 21-year-old who only moved to west London last summer, one who fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim before his exit from United and whose first season in blue produced both solid numbers and glaring inconsistency. Murphy’s view was that if one player had to go, it would more likely be Garnacho than Delap, because Delap is younger, offers different characteristics and gives Alonso something Chelsea do not have.
The decision is still Chelsea’s, and that is what makes the story matter now. With Alonso due in soon, the club must choose whether Garnacho is part of the rebuild or the first major sale of the summer. If they decide to move him on, United will be watching the fee closely as well as the player’s next step.
