Garnacho absent from Chelsea pre-season as club demands €50m for permanent exit
Alejandro Garnacho did not join first-team pre-season training on Thursday as Chelsea actively seek to sell the Argentina winger permanently. Sources value the 22-year-old at around €50m and hope for a deal within two weeks.
Training absence and Chelsea's stance
On Thursday, Chelsea began pre-season training under new manager Xabi Alonso, but Garnacho was given permission to stay away while his future is settled. The club, according to sources, is only willing to consider a permanent transfer, not a loan, and have set an asking price of €50m (£42.5m) for overseas clubs, or £45m (€52.8m) for Premier League rivals, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. The 21-year-old Argentinian did not train with the group at Cobham, and the club is actively marketing him ahead of a pre-season tour that departs for Australia on July 25.
Garnacho's Chelsea stint and exit motivation
Garnacho moved from Manchester United last summer for £40m (€46.2m) on a seven-year contract, but managed only 8 goals and 4 assists in 43 appearances, starting just 22 times across all competitions. He failed to secure a regular spot under Enzo Maresca and later Liam Rosenior, scoring just one Premier League goal in 24 matches. In April, he reflected on his departure from United in an interview.
I did some bad things towards the end of my United career.
Chelsea sources say the player wants first-team football elsewhere, and the club sees his departure as part of a wider squad reset for Alonso.
Market interest and next steps
Chelsea have received interest from clubs in the Premier League, across Europe, and in the Saudi Pro League. Sources indicated talks are advancing with several parties and the club is optimistic of completing a deal in the next fortnight. If a sale goes through, Manchester United are due 10% of the fee. Garnacho was also omitted from Argentina's final 26-man World Cup squad after inclusion in the preliminary 55-man list.
- Garnacho joins Chelsea from Manchester United for £40m (€46.2m) on a seven-year contract.
- Garnacho admits doing 'some bad things' at United, reflecting on his acrimonious departure.
- The Athletic reports Chelsea are ready to listen to offers and Garnacho is not on the 'not for sale' list.
- Pre-season training begins under Xabi Alonso; Garnacho is absent with permission as a sale is sought.
- Chelsea squad departs for pre-season tour of Australia; club aims to complete a sale before this date.
Squad overhaul under Alonso
The reshaping of the squad includes the arrivals of full-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta for £47m and winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP for £40m. On the outgoing side, Marc Cucurella joined Real Madrid for £52m, and academy product Tyrique George completed a move to Everton for an initial £18m that could rise to £24m with add-ons and a 15% sell-on clause. Chelsea are also targeting a centre-back, with Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix among options, while left-back Pep Chavarria of Rayo Vallecano is in talks to move to west London.
- Garnacho (asking)
- 42.5 £m
- Palestra (in)
- 47 £m
- Quenda (in)
- 40 £m
- Cucurella (out)
- 52 £m
- George (out)
- 24 £m
What next
The squad will travel to Australia on July 25 for a pre-season tour, and the club hope to resolve Garnacho's future before that date. A loan to Serie A club Roma has been mentioned, but Chelsea insist on a permanent exit. Further outgoings are planned: Trevoh Chalobah's camp is exploring moves to Inter Milan and Como, reflecting a busy summer at Stamford Bridge after a 10th-place Premier League finish.
