Manchester United handed upper hand in £60m negotiations after Fabrizio Romano transfer update

Following Fabrizio Romano’s latest update, Manchester United have been given the upper hand in negotiations for a £60 million transfer.

Manchester United are looking to offload several players in the January transfer window as they aim to raise funds ahead of a pivotal summer.

Rúben Amorim’s side have made an overall positive start to 2025, winning four of their six games in charge, with the only glaring negative being a 3-1 loss against Brighton.

Despite clear gaps in the squad at left-back, in midfield, and in attack, United’s transfer business had been slow-moving, but the club have reportedly agreed transfers for Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, both of whom will reinforce Amorim’s defence.

Amorim has publicly stated his desire to keep the majority of his squad intact, but the club are prepared to part ways with several players before the window closes, with most departures expected to be loan deals such as Antony, who has left for Real Betis for the remainder of this season.

United handed boost in Garnacho negotiations

The most high-profile sale that has been routinely discussed this month is the potential sale of Alejandro Garnacho, who has been gathering significant interest from Chelsea and Napoli this summer.

Multiple reports have explained that Napoli has submitted multiple bids for the player that have all landed at around £40-45 million, and a recent report said that Napoli had informed United that their maximum bid for Garnacho would be £42 million.

However, United may have just been handed the upper hand in negotiations as Karim Adeyemi has chosen to stay at Borussia Dortmund this month, as per transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.

Adeyemi had been touted as Napoli’s plan B should they fail in their pursuit of Garnacho, and reports emerged from Italy that the Serie A club were close to securing a deal for the Bundesliga forward after United demanded £60 million for their player.

However, with Napoli no longer able to secure their second option, they may come sulking back to United following their £42 million ultimatum, as they still must look to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this month.

Garnacho’s transfer has knock-on effects

The stance coming from United’s camp regarding a sale of Garnacho has always been that they are not looking to sell the player, but should someone meet their £60 million demands, they would accept it due to the current financial strain on the club.

Amorim does not have significant funds to strengthen his squad, and Dorgu’s £24 million plus add-ons transfer will have dug deep into his transfer kitty.

However, if Garnacho goes, multiple reports have pointed to the fact that United may go in for Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel should either Garnacho or Marcus Rashford leave this month.

The 19-year-old forward is reportedly keen on leaving the German side this month, with multiple teams eyeing the player for a move before deadline day on 3 Feburary.

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