Chelsea prepared to accept £40m as they seek to offload player with ‘high opinion of himself’

Chelsea are reportedly offering out Alejandro Garnacho to prospective buyers this summer for a fee in the region of £40m.

That was the fee that the Blues paid to sign him from Manchester United last year (BBC Sport), but a return of just one Premier League goal all season has led Glen Johnson to lament the transfer as a ‘mistake’.

Liam Rosenior had seemingly been prepared to keep faith in the 21-year-old while he was in charge at Stamford Bridge, but with his brief reign cut short last month, there’s a fresh uncertainty over the future of the Argentine winger.

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Chelsea seeking buyers for Garnacho for £40m

Chelsea News writer Simon Phillips reported on Thursday (via Substack) that the west London club are now seeking to offer out Garnacho to other clubs for around £40m in the summer.

Napoli are cited as one prospective buyer who are likely to be contacted, given their previous interest in the ex-Manchester United youngster.

Stamford Bridge chiefs have been left ‘disappointed’ with the 21-year-old so far, and there’s a belief that it’d be ‘best for all parties’ if he were to be offloaded in the upcoming transfer window.

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Garnacho hasn’t done enough to convince Chelsea thus far

If Chelsea can find a buyer for Garnacho who’s prepared to pay enough for them to recoup their initial investment, we suspect that a deal should then get done fairly quickly.

Nicky Butt – who worked with the forward in his previous roles in youth development at Man United – described him as ‘always a bit standoffish’ and having ‘a high opinion of himself’, even labelling his attitude as a ‘disgrace’ (The Good, The Bad and The Football).

The Argentine has done little to create more positive headlines during his first season with the Blues, and he may well be one of the first players to be culled by new manager Xabi Alonso as he stamps his own imprint on the squad at Stamford Bridge.

Garnacho has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, and in the right environment he might go on to deliver upon the potential he showed as a teenager at Old Trafford.

However, he might well be considered one of Chelsea’s more expendable players as they prepare for yet another new chapter under BlueCo’s turbulent ownership, even if offloading him after just one year would be a covert admission that the decision to sign him in the first place was misguided.