Manchester United have agreed to sell Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea in a deal worth £40 million, including a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
The 21-year-old Argentine winger, who has been training alone at Carrington since July, will become United’s fourth-highest sale of all time, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria.
Chelsea initially offered £25m before negotiations settled on the £40m fixed fee.
Head coach Ruben Amorim informed Garnacho at the end of last season that he was free to find a new club, and the player had already prioritised a move to Stamford Bridge after talks in January. United had originally valued him at £60m.
Chelsea’s latest signing continues a staggering recruitment drive since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took control, with more than £500m spent on wingers alone over the past three years. Factoring in strikers, the figure rises above £650m, though significant player sales are expected to balance the books this summer.
For United, Garnacho’s departure provides a vital boost towards meeting the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), particularly as the fee counts as pure profit for a homegrown player. The Old Trafford club have already invested £200m this summer on Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to rebuild their forward line.
Garnacho, who joined United’s academy from Atletico Madrid in 2020, made his senior debut under Ralf Rangnick in April 2022 against Chelsea.
He flourished under Erik ten Hag, producing six goals and six assists in the 2022/23 season before cementing himself as a key figure. He scored the opener in United’s FA Cup final win over Manchester City in 2024.
Across four seasons, he registered 26 goals in 144 appearances for the Red Devils, but his final game proved bittersweet — May’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, after which he publicly questioned Amorim’s decision to leave him out of the starting XI.
Garnacho now prepares for a new chapter at Chelsea, who see him as a cornerstone for their long-term project at Stamford Bridge.
