Alejandro Garnacho has already told Enzo Maresca his best position as £39m transfer explained

Alejandro Garnacho has already told head coach Enzo Maresca his best position ahead of a proposed transfer to Chelsea. The Manchester United winger has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for a while now, after falling out of favour with Ruben Amorim.

The cracks in their working relationship started to show when the Red Devils’ manager left Garnacho at home for the Manchester derby in December, due to concerns with his attitude. The Argentina international took Amorim’s criticism in his stride, forcing himself back into United’s starting line-up.

Then, on the final day of last season, the Portuguese tactician raised eyebrows when he dropped Garnacho from the matchday squad. The Chelsea target was also benched in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, despite having started each of the previous knockout round ties.

Garnacho has faced an uncertain future at Old Trafford ever since, and the Blues could be well about to secure his signature. football.london understands that Chelsea are in talks with United to sign the Argentine.

The west Londoners are long admirers of Garnacho, who wants to depart Old Trafford this summer. It’s understood that Chelsea considered making a move for the youngster as recently as the January transfer window, but a switch never materialised.

Garnacho enjoyed spells across the frontline -during his time at United, but he favours a role on the left-hand side. Speaking to club media – in November 2022 – the £39m-rated Red Devils forward said: “I’ve always liked to play out wide on the left, as a right-footed player able to cut inside.

“To be able to play as a right-footed player down the left, you also have to be pretty decent with your weak foot. From an early age, I’ve always practiced hard using both feet, because that makes you a much better player and so nowadays I can play with both feet – not to perfection but to a good standard.”

On his preparation for games as a winger, Garnacho added: “At home, I always study the full-backs and during the game itself; during the time when I’m sitting on the bench. So I can then go on and know where and how I need to be looking to go past them.

“I analyse games and also opponents when I’m about to come up against them, so that I’ve got some background on each player to be ready for the game.”

If Chelsea were to sign Garnacho, he’d compete with Jamie Gittens for a place on the left as a touchline winger. As it stands, it remains to be seen whether or not the United player will swap Old Trafford for Stamford Bridge, but the Blues certainly want at least two right-footed left-wingers at their disposal.

Earlier this month, Amorim provided an update on Garnacho. United’s manager described the Chelsea target as a ‘talented boy’, who wants ‘a different thing with a different leadership’.

“I think Garnacho, you can understand and you can see, he’s talented, that he’s a really talented boy,” said Amorim. “And sometimes things don’t work out. You cannot explain specifically what it is.

“But I have the feeling, I think it’s clear that Garnacho wants a different thing with a different leadership.

“I can understand that. So I think it’s not a problem. Sometimes you adapt to one guy, you have the connection.

“Other times, you want a new challenge. So, we try to make everything okay to all parts. To the club, to the coach and to the [other] players. So, it’s a natural thing in football…”