Champions League side set to take first step to sign Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho

Napoli have intensified their efforts to sign Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho this summer, according to The i paper. The Serie A giants had also offered £40m for the Argentine forward in the winter transfer window, but that was rejected by the Red Devils.

Garnacho's future was uncertain in January after being dropped by Ruben Amorim due to off-field issues. However, the 20-year-old managed to re-establish himself in the Portuguese head coach's plans as the season progressed.

Unfortunately, Garnacho wasn't part of Manchester United's starting XI for the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur last week. While he came off the bench in the second half, the youngster couldn't prevent his team from losing 1-0.

The Argentine publicly questioned Amorim's decision to bench him after the game, further straining their relationship. The Portuguese coach has reportedly told Garnacho to seek a new club, and he did not feature in the 2-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Sunday, May 25.

The Red Devils are now open to his departure, which would also help with FFP obligations. The Argentine qualifies as a homegrown player, and his sale can be recorded as pure profit on the books.

Manchester United are reportedly asking for £60m for the player, although Napoli, who will compete in the Champions League next week, are unlikely to meet that valuation. However, a deal could potentially materialize for £50m. Chelsea have also been long-time admirers of Garnacho, but the Serie A champions are currently leading the pursuit.

What has Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said about Alejandro Garnacho's future?

Ruben Amorim has reiterated that Alejandro Garnacho remains a Manchester United player. The Argentine has made 58 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists.

Speaking ahead of the Aston Villa game, Amorim added that Garnacho will join the team for their upcoming matches in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

“Alejandro Garnacho continues to be a Man United player, not in the squad today but still a Man United player. He will fly with us for post-season tour. We need to be all there, we have to give something back to our fans," said Amorim.

The Argentine has recorded four goals and six assists from 40 games across competitions under Ruben Amorim. However, Garnacho may not be the only player to leave Manchester United this summer, as Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho are among the high-profile names likely to depart.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

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