'Bid submitted and talks held' - Efforts to sign Man Utd star ramped up after Ruben Amorim 'happy' comment

Napoli are reportedly stepping up their efforts to sign Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho with the Italian club’s star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia poised to move to Paris Saint-Germain this transfer window.

Kvaratskhelia has reportedly already agreed to move to Paris with the clubs closing in on a deal to finalise the transfer. The Red Devils have a number of players linked with moves away from the club this month with there being currently little to no transfer budget for Ruben Amorim to work with. Permanent deals are only set to happen if sales are sanctioned.

Alejandro Garnacho is being eyed by Napoli. He joined the Red Devils' youth set-up in 2020 and made his professional debut for the club in 2022. Reports in Italy, via Sport Italia, claim the player is being targeted by Napoli after previous links to Atletico Madrid. It was previously claimed United ‘would consider’ selling Alejandro Garnacho if a ‘big money’ offer came in for his services.

Bid ‘submitted’ and agent ‘talks’

The Red Devils are said to want close to £60m to sell Garnacho. According to reports from Alfredo Pedulla Napoli have already made an offer of around £38m. United may lower their asking price but the Serie A club have reportedly lined up other targets if they are unable to agree a deal for Garnacho. Two other names linked are also playing in the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Timo Werner and Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa among reported targets.

Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has met with Garnacho’s agent to “understand the feasibility” of a possible deal while also gauging the winger’s stance and what his salary demands would be. The Argentine international has made 19 appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring three goals and providing one assist. He has also played in all six of the club’s Europa League games, scoring once.

Amorim on Garnacho

Garnacho has not been a regular starter under Ruben Amorim but was in the starting XI for the FA Cup victory at Arsenal. Amorim explained ahead of kick off: "Amad [Diallo] had a small issue during the week and I like the way Garnacho plays - he is playing well. The way he is training we felt it was a good opportunity to see Garnacho start the game."

Asked ahead of the FA Cup victory over Arsenal, Amorim was asked about potential incomings but insisted he was pleased with his current squad - and referenced Garnacho specifically. He said: "My players are always my favourites. I really love my players. I want to keep my players, especially the talented ones. Like I said, it’s a special moment in this club, it’s a hard moment, but, of course, I’m really happy with Kobbie [Mainoo], he’s improving, and also with Garna [Alejandro Garnacho]. We will see, guys. Let’s focus on the game. They are available, they are training, we will see the selection for this game. They have to focus just on playing the next game."