Chelsea agree £40m fee for Man Utd's Garnacho - but why another forward?

Chelsea have agreed a £40m fee to sign Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho.

The 21-year-old Argentina international was told to find a new club by head coach Ruben Amorim at the end of last season.

Sources from United say the initial Chelsea offer was £25m, but Garnacho's transfer - which includes a 10% sell-on clause - will now be the club's fourth largest ever sale after Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel di Maria.

Chelsea will have spent more than £500m, including add-on clauses, on wingers in just over three years since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club.

It will be more than £650m with strikers included - again with add-ons - but there have been significant player sales, with Chelsea likely to fully balance the books this summer on departures.

Sales will have contributed to more than £200m on five attackers.

Garnacho held talks with Chelsea in January when his priority became a move to Stamford Bridge and United initially wanted £60m for him.

As a homegrown player, having joined United's youth system from Atletico Madrid as a 16-year-old in 2020, the fee will also be important towards meeting the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The Old Trafford club have already spent £200m on a new forward line of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Garnacho's last competitive game for United was May's Europa League final - after which he questioned Amorim's decision not to start him in 1-0 defeat by Tottenham.

Although he did go on the club's post-season tour of Asia, he was not selected for the three-match summer trip to the United States.

Garnacho was ordered to train at different times to Amorim's squad, along with fellow outcasts Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford, who subsequently joined Barcelona on loan.

When asked about the player's future in Chicago, boss Amorim said "sometimes things don't work out".

The signing of Garnacho is deemed important by Blues manager Enzo Maresca.

The Italian revealed at a news conference his two transfer priorities were to sign a central defender and a left-winger capable of providing competition for another summer arrival in Jamie Gittens.

However, the club only approved one of his requests, adding an attacker, and instructed Maresca to work with the existing defensive options.

Enter Garnacho, who has been a long-term target as highlighted by the public sighting of his agents, Carlos Cambeiro and Quique de Lucas, at Stamford Bridge in late January.

Despite knowing he was available, Chelsea appear to have used delaying tactics to drive down the Argentine's price while working to sell Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, and Tyrique George to create space in the squad.

At £40m, Garnacho is good value, and will be keen to prove he is more than just a cost-effective buy, but a difference maker in an already well-stocked Blues attack.