Manchester United have rejected Napoli’s offer for Alejandro Garnacho after the Italian league leaders fell short of the club’s valuation for the youngster, according to reports.
Garnacho’s future at Old Trafford remains the subject of intense interest from European suitors in the wake of the difficult start to life he has endured under Ruben Amorim.
The 20-year-old was dropped alongside Marcus Rashford by the United boss for their shock Manchester derby victory in December as Amorim ruled Garnacho’s attitude didn’t meet his required standards in training.
Garnacho was recalled to start United’s recent back-to-back wins over Arsenal and Southampton and played a pivotal role in helping the Red Devils come from a goal down to beat Southampton 3-1 on Thursday evening.
However, United’s recruitment difficulties mean they are having to carefully balance Profit and Sustainability Regulations while attempting to bring in reinforcements and have considered the futures of Kobbie Mainoo and Garnacho.
A sale for Garnacho could be sanctioned if United’s valuation is met and the club have now rejected an opening £40m offer from Napoli, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester United have reportedly rejected Napoli’s opening offer for Alejandro Garnacho
United Ruben Amorim has been tough on Garnacho but wants to keep the youngster at the club
Napoli boss Antonio Conte is keen to bring in January reinforcements to aid his title bid
Garnacho appears committed to the 13-time Premier League champions at the moment with him tied to the club until 2028 and recently deactivated his X account as he focuses on improving performances.
Napoli boss Antonio Conte is keen to bring in a replacement Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who appears set to join PSG in a £59m deal and Garnacho is one of the candidates at the top of the Serie A side’s list.
The Argentine’s rise to prominence in recent seasons has seen him initially go from being a breakout star under Erik ten Hag into a fully-fledged first-team regular and starter last season.
Napoli want to agree a cut-price deal for the rising star and have previously based their recruitment strategy around signing players with a sell-on value rather than paying huge upfront fees.
Garnacho was recently valued at £82.27m by the CIES Football Observatory which would mean Napoli would have to pay more than the record £73m they previously forked out for Victor Osimhen.
Napoli are now considering making potential moves for Bologna’s Dan Ndoye and Deportivo la Coruna winger Yeremay Hernandez instead.
Garnacho was recently valued at £82.27m by the CIES Football Observatory
Despite the recent disciplinary action taken by Amorim, the United head coach insisted that the attacking star is part of his future plans, stating: ‘That is clear. He has talent. He needs to learn to play in a different position. He needs to play better inside.
‘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.
‘I prefer to defend and then build up with all the team to reach the final third.
‘He’s finding the best way to play in this system. He’s improving during training. He started the last game. Let’s see tomorrow. I think he changed the way he sees himself.’