Napoli chief Giovanni Manna has revealed why Alejandro Garnacho’s exit from Manchester United collapsed in the last days of the winter transfer window.
The Argentine was of significant interest for big European clubs – such as Tottenham, Chelsea, and Napoli – as boss Ruben Amorim admitted that his departure was an option.
Previously, when quizzed whether Garnacho can continue the season in another club, the Portuguese manager said: ‘That, nobody knows. Anything can happen.’
Mail Sport previously disclosed that Spurs’ initial enquiry was about a loan deal amid the saga surrounding Mathys Tel’s transfer.
However, Serie A side Napoli had also shown great interest, especially after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain for £59million.
Speaking about January negotiations with the winger, sporting director Manna said: ‘We made an important bid to Manchester United for Garnacho. We really wanted him.
Giovanni Manna revealed why the negotiations with Alejandro Garnacho collapsed in January
According to the Italian sporting director, the Serie A side could not agree personal terms with the 20-year-old player
The Argentine was linked to numerous top clubs throughout the January transfer window
‘We weren’t able to agree on personal terms with Alejandro, he requested an important salary to leave in January and we must respect our players.’
Earlier reports suggested that United rejected an opening £40m offer from the Italians despite a tense relationship with head coach Amorim.
The Argentine was surprisingly dropped alongside Marcus Rashford for the game against Manchester City in December after the Portuguese highlighted that the players’ attitude didn’t meet their required standards in training.
However, Garnacho later emerged as a regular starter for the Red Devils, playing the entire game in United’s 0-2 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Despite previous claims regarding the 20-year-old player’s discipline, Amorim insisted that the Argentine is a part of his future plans, saying: ‘That is clear. He has talent. He needs to learn to play in a different position. He needs to play better inside.
‘He improves a lot in the recovering position when he doesn’t have the ball. But doing that, sometimes he’s not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past.
‘I prefer to defend and then build up with all the team to reach the final third.
‘He’s finding the best way to play in this system. He’s improving during training. He started the last game. Let’s see tomorrow. I think he changed the way he sees himself.’
Garnacho has featured in 36 games this season, scoring eight goals while delivering six assists.
However, his last goal in a Red Devils’ shirt was back in November in United’s 3-2 home win against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
CIES Football Observatory recently valued the winger at £82.27m.
Meanwhile, Serie A table-toppers Napoli completed four signings during the winter transfer window, sealing deals with Noah Okafor, Philip Billing, Luis Hasa, and Simone Scuffet.
Okafor – brought on loan from AC Milan for six months – is expected to replace Kvaratskhelia on the left wing.
