Garnacho rejects Bayern, only wants Chelsea

With just 13 days left until the end of the transfer window and the Premier League resuming last week, teams are already sorting out which players will be playing for them and which ones won’t, with transfer-listed players finding their way out of the team. One player is uncertain about which club he will join next season, as his parent club does not want him, and his preferred club is delaying a transfer bid.

Alejandro Garnacho’s time at Manchester United looks to be coming to an end as Chelsea are looking to acquire the Argentine superstar from United. According to Fabrizio Romano, Garnacho could be on his way out of United “Chelsea are advancing in club-to-club talks for Alejandro Garnacho”, he posted on X. Not everyone would have envisaged Garnacho and United parting in this manner. However, a series of controversies and disciplinary issues have led to the 21-year-old being ostracised from the team, and with no resolution in sight, Manchester United is looking to cash in on him.

🚨🔵 Chelsea are advancing in club to club talks for Alejandro Garnacho! Deal underway with Man United.

Excellent relationship between United CEO Berrada and Chelsea hierarchy.

Garnacho only wants #CFC and turned down an approach from Bayern in last 48h; no chance. pic.twitter.com/K7LHwECqFj

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2025

Early Days

Garnacho arrived at United as a 16-year-old teenager from Atletico Madrid for around £420,000 and quickly made a good impression with his dazzling skills and goal-scoring ability, scoring 16 goals in 25 games for the youth team. He played a key role in the FA Youth Cup victory by scoring two goals in the final, this earned him the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award. His youth team performances gave him a chance to make it to the first team. He made his first-team debut for United against Chelsea on April 28, 2022. He scored his first Premier League goal with a dramatic late winner against Fulham and also scored his first senior goal for United in a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Big Moments and Accolades

After his rise to the first team, Garnacho had his breakthrough season in the 2023/2024 season, becoming a first-team regular by starting 41 out of 50 games for United and recording a 15-goal contribution in all competitions for United. One of his biggest highlights of the season was the overhead kick he executed against Everton, which earned him the Goal of the Season award and the FIFA Puskas Award. He wrapped it up by scoring a goal in the final of the FA Cup against Manchester City, making him one of the youngest final scorers in the competition's history. He also made his senior international debut for Argentina in June 2023 and was part of the squad that won the Copa America in 2024.

ALEJANDRO GARNACHO WITH ONE OF THE BEST OVERHEAD-KICK GOALS I’VE EVER SEEN 🤯 ☄️ pic.twitter.com/Lsp7ixdMft

— Sam Peoples (@sampeoples_) November 26, 2023

Beginning of the Problems

Garnacho began experiencing problems at United in 2022 after arriving late to team meetings. Head coach Erik Ten Hag punished him by excluding him from the pre-season tour.. He also had another incident where he posted a story on Instagram while injured, showing a vape pen on his sofa, a picture which he quickly deleted and re-uploaded without the vape showing. Other incidents include liking posts that mocked teammate Andre Onana after United's loss to City at Old Trafford and mimicking Barcelona's Pedri celebration.

Garnacho had a vape on his sofa, deleted the picture and instead of just retaking the photo he edited the vape out 😭 pic.twitter.com/J6bDkyUrCg

— Liam ⚡️🌘🌗 (@KingAmadDiallo) March 19, 2023

New Coach, Same problems

Garnacho and Marcus Rashford were both dropped for the Manchester derby by the new coach, Ruben Amorim, in December 2024. The head coach cited disciplinary issues as the reason for their exclusion. This decision followed allegations that Garnacho had turned his back on his coach while receiving tactical instructions during an Europa League match. Another incident came when he posted a picture wearing the shirt of on-loan Manchester United Forward Marcus Rashford

The Last Straw

The last one that severed all ties was when he was brought in late by the coach in the Europa League Final and went straight to the media to hint at dissatisfaction about coming on late saying “I played every round until I reached the final, but I only played 20 minutes today….I’ll enjoy the summer and then we’ll see.” With Ruben Amorim reportedly furious and telling him, “pray you can find a club to sign you.”

With Garnacho turning down a move to Bayern Munich, it sends a signal to Chelsea that he wants to join at all costs. It now depends on whether Chelsea can agree with Manchester United to sign the 21-year-old.