Manchester United have had one approach rejected during negotiations with Chelsea for the almost certain transfer of Alejandro Garnacho.
Alejandro Garnacho looks destined to sign for Chelsea after several years where many fans thought that he would become the face of Manchester United.
When Rúben Amorim joined the club, he no longer had a natural spot in the side, but it shouldn’t have led to the Argentine calling out his manager after losing the Europa League final.
The former Sporting CP manager dealt with this in the only way he could, by banishing him from the first-team squad, along with Antony, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
With just over one week left in the transfer window, Director of Football Jason Wilcox needs to sell the four remaining exiled members and potentially look at signing more players to bolster Amorim’s Premier League hopes.
Chelsea reject Santos approach in Garnacho talks
With so many deals left to complete this summer, and so little time to finalise them, Wilcox may look for swap deals where United take a player from the club they are selling to.
The only current club-to-club talks that are known to the public are between Chelsea and United for Garnacho, and it appears Wilcox was looking to use the swap deal strategy.
Andrey Santos, a “monster” Brazilian central midfielder, made his debut for Chelsea in the Club World Cup and clearly impressed as the Red Devils enquired about the possibility of signing him during talks about Garnacho, as per Ben Jacobs for The United Stand.
However, Enzo Maresca’s side immediately rejected the approach as they don’t want to sell the 21-year-old, despite the wealth of midfield options they already have at the club.
Santos could have been the alternative option for Carlos Baleba in the heart of midfield, with United still searching for an engine room target before the end of the summer.
Big opportunity for Kone this season
With United needing to sell so many players before the end of the transfer window, signing a midfielder could prove difficult, especially after missing out on Baleba from Brighton.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte have both struggled to nail down the defensive midfield spot, while Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo are competing for the other place in the double pivot.
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With Casemiro and Ugarte’s problems, Amorim could turn to the academy to solve the midfield issue, with Sekou Kone the next in line after Toby Collyer’s loan move to West Bromwich Albion.
Kone suffered an injury against Tamworth in the National League Cup, but is expected to return soon with a mask to protect his eye socket. If he can prove his form isn’t affected by his injury, the Mali international could be set for a debut in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup, and if he impresses, he could be involved in the first team.
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