Chelsea ‘hold initial talks over signing Alejandro Garnacho’ as Man United consider the academy graduate’s future – with the Blues also eyeing a Bundesliga talent

Chelsea have made a shock enquiry over Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, reports claim, with his future at Old Trafford increasingly uncertain.

Garnacho looked to have fallen out of contention under head coach Ruben Amorim but started in United’s victories over Arsenal and Southampton in the past week.

However, according to The Athletic, the Blues have now held early discussions over the 20-year-old as they weigh up swooping this month.

United head coach Ruben Amorim has expressed a desire to keep Garnacho at the club and recently praised him for adapting to his system.

However, almost all of United’s squad is effectively on the chopping block due to the club’s dire financial situation, raising the prospect that the wideman could be offloaded over the next fortnight should his valuation be met.

Garnacho is said to have been the subject of a £40m bid from Napoli but this was reportedly rejected, while other clubs in Europe are likely to be circling. 

He graduated from United’s famed youth academy after being poached from Atletico Madrid and has made 117 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals.

Garnacho already has eight goals to his name this season, having featured 31 times.

‘I think he changed the way he sees himself,’ said Amorim.

‘He’s finding the best way to play in this system and is improving during training.

‘He improves a lot in the recovering position when he doesn’t have the ball. But doing that, sometimes he’s not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past.’

As exclusively revealed by Mail Sport, Garnacho was dropped entirely for United’s derby victory over Manchester City in December after angering Amorim, but he has since fought his way back into the starting XI despite the off-field speculation. 

Crucially, any sale would represent pure profit on United’s books and may allow the club to enter the transfer market before it slams shut on February 3.

Chelsea have also reportedly held conversations over Borussia Dortmund talent Jamie Gittens as they look to strengthen Enzo Maresca’s options on the flanks. 

Gittens, also 20, has been at Dortmund since 2020 but is enjoying a sensational breakthrough season, having scored seven goals in 18 matches.

He is under contract until 2028 but is said to be the subject of fierce interest from several potential suitors, including Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. 

The youngster joined Manchester City’s academy in 2018 after beginning his career at Reading, but followed in Jadon Sancho’s steps after moving to Dortmund.

His senior debut came in April 2022 and Gittens has gone to make 83 appearances to date across all competitions, scoring 16 goals.

Chelsea’s interest in Garnacho and Gittens comes after it was revealed PSG were eyeing up Christopher Nkunku, who is contracted until June 2029.

Maresca previously insisted that Nkunku was ‘absolutely not’ for sale but he has so far delivered 15 goals in 41 games for the Blues, mostly as a substitute. 

He signed a six-year deal after arriving from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023.