Chelsea considers selling Garnacho, Manchester United awaits final steps for Éderson
According to British reports published on 07 July 2026, Chelsea is ready to listen to offers for Alejandro Garnacho less than a year after the Argentine winger arrived at Stamford Bridge from Manchester United. The information has not yet been officially confirmed on the London club's channels, but several sources from English football state that Chelsea is considering a permanent sale, not a loan, if an offer appears that would meet the club's financial and sporting criteria. Such a development would be significant for the Premier League market because this is a player who was presented only in August 2025 as a long-term reinforcement and who, according to Chelsea's official announcement, has a contract until 2032. According to the same reports, Garnacho has not gained a stable status in the starting line-up, and new competition in attacking and wide areas has further opened the question of his role in Xabi Alonso's squad. At the same time, Manchester United continues to work on the final steps of the transfer of Brazilian midfielder Éderson from Atalanta, with a deal worth around £38 million previously described as agreed, but still dependent on final medical examinations and formal confirmation.
Garnacho's quick turnaround after arriving from Manchester United
Garnacho arrived at Chelsea on 30 August 2025, when the club officially announced his transfer from Manchester United and stated that the then 21-year-old Argentina international had signed a long-term contract until 2032. In the same announcement, Chelsea highlighted that Garnacho had already made 93 Premier League appearances and scored 16 league goals for Manchester United, including a spectacular bicycle-kick goal against Everton that earned him the FIFA Puskas Award for 2024. That context shows why his arrival in west London was then interpreted as an investment in a player who could immediately increase attacking depth, but also become one of the team's long-term leaders. However, the season that followed did not fully confirm such expectations. According to talkSPORT's report, Garnacho recorded 43 appearances in all competitions and eight goals in the previous season, but in the Premier League he had only 14 starts and one league goal.
Such an output does not in itself have to mean failure, especially for a winger adapting to a new dressing room, tactical demands and competition at a big club. However, in the context of Chelsea, which in recent years has often changed its coaching direction and invested in a large number of young players, the question of minutes quickly becomes both a sporting and a financial issue. According to available reports, Garnacho failed to impose himself as an indispensable starter, and Chelsea could try in the summer transfer window to reduce the overcrowding of the squad and open space for players who fit better into the new plan. If the club really seeks a permanent sale, that would mean it is not only about temporarily sending the player away for minutes, but about a willingness to reassess the Garnacho project after only the first season. Such a decision would be particularly sensitive because this is a player who is still young, marketable and recognizable in the Premier League.
Alonso's arrival changes the hierarchy in the dressing room
Additional weight is given to the situation by the arrival of Xabi Alonso, whose appointment Chelsea officially announced in May 2026, with work beginning on 1 July and a four-year contract. Every new coach brings a different assessment of the existing squad, and Alonso arrived at Chelsea with a clear task to rebuild a competitive team and stabilize the club's sporting direction. According to Chelsea's official information, the first summer arrival in his era was Italian international Marco Palestra from Atalanta, signed on 1 July 2026 with a contract until 2033. Although Palestra is primarily a defender or wing-back, his arrival shows that the club is already actively reshaping the wide corridors and looking for players who can respond to the demands of the new system. In such an environment, wingers like Garnacho must fight not only for a place in the starting line-up, but also for tactical relevance in a system that is still being formed.
According to talkSPORT's report, Chelsea would rather consider a permanent sale than a loan for Garnacho, while interest in the player exists, but negotiations between clubs have not currently begun. This is an important distinction because it shows that the story is not at the stage of a completed deal, but at the stage of market testing. Premier League clubs in such situations often balance between sending a public signal that a player is available and the need not to weaken their negotiating position. Garnacho's contract until 2032 gives Chelsea a certain degree of control over the situation, but a long contract does not guarantee a sporting future if the coach and sporting department assess that better options exist. For the player himself, a possible departure would be a second major transfer in a short period, which can be challenging, but also an opportunity for an environment in which he would have a clearer role and continuity of appearances.
The wider context of Chelsea's reconstruction
Chelsea entered the 2026/27 season with a new coach and a squad restructuring already under way, and reports about the possible sale of Garnacho fit into the broader pattern of the club's reshuffle. According to the Premier League's official announcement, the summer transfer window in England opened on 15 June 2026 and lasts until 1 September at 23:00 British time, which leaves clubs enough time for sales, arrivals and later corrections after pre-season. In practice, however, big clubs try to resolve key decisions as early as possible so that coaches can get a clearer squad for work as soon as possible. Chelsea is in a sensitive position because it must simultaneously retain enough quality for a competitive step forward and avoid stockpiling players who will not have stable minutes. In such a model, even big names can become available if they do not fit the new hierarchy.
Garnacho's case also shows how quickly the dynamics of the transfer market for young players in English football have changed. Clubs increasingly sign long contracts to protect players' value, but at the same time remain ready to react quickly if the sporting plan changes. For Chelsea, a possible sale could have several functions: freeing up space in the dressing room, reducing competition in the wing positions, creating financial room for other deals and sending a clearer message about the profile of players Alonso wants. For Garnacho, meanwhile, the most important question would be whether at his next club he can get a defined role on the left wing, right wing or in a narrower attacking zone. Since, according to available information, negotiations have not yet begun, the market will only show whether there is a club ready to pay a price that would justify Chelsea's early exit from that deal.
Manchester United and Éderson: an agreement exists, but official confirmation is still awaited
While Chelsea considers outgoing deals, Manchester United is trying to conclude one of its most important reinforcements for midfield. Sky Sports previously reported that United had agreed the transfer of Éderson from Atalanta in a package worth around £38 million, with an initial fee of £34 million and an additional £3.8 million through possible bonuses. According to the same report, the Brazilian midfielder should sign a four-year contract with the option of an extension for an additional 12 months, while the completion of the deal was conditional on medical examinations. The Sun reported on 07 July that a second medical examination in the United Kingdom was expected before the completion of the transfer, and the same source states that the paperwork and contract signing had not yet been completed by then. For that reason, it is precise to speak of a transfer that is at an advanced stage, but not of an officially confirmed arrival.
In the available official announcements from Manchester United and Atalanta up to 07 July 2026, there was no final confirmation of the transfer, and Atalanta was still publishing content about Éderson in early July in the context of its players at the World Cup. In June, the Italian club stated that Éderson had made his debut appearance at the 2026 World Cup in Brazil's victory against Haiti, while in club materials from 2025 he was described as an important midfield player who, since arriving in Bergamo in 2022, had collected 139 appearances, 13 goals and four assists in all competitions. These figures help explain why United recognized in him the profile of a player who can bring energy, duelling ability and mobility to the central part of the pitch. Atalanta's tradition of developing and tactically shaping midfielders further increased the market value of a player who has already performed at a high level in Serie A and European competitions. If the transfer is completed, United would get a player in his prime years, with experience of Italian football and international status in the Brazilian national team.
Carrick's midfield seeks a new balance
Manchester United confirmed in May 2026 that Michael Carrick had signed a contract as head coach after taking over the team in January in an initial role until the end of the season. That detail is important for understanding the club's transfer policy because rebuilding the midfield is one of the first major issues of the new coaching period at Old Trafford. According to reports in the English media, Éderson should be one of the key reinforcements for that part of the team, especially because of his ability to cover large spaces, break up opposition attacks and carry the ball from the first to the second phase of play. United has often sought in recent seasons a stable combination of physical power, technical security and tactical discipline in the midfield line. Bringing in a player like Éderson, if realized, could give Carrick a different profile from a classic defensive midfielder and open the possibility of a more flexible arrangement in midfield.
Still, the fact that the deal has been prolonged because of additional medical procedures shows how sensitive the final stages of transfers are. Medical examinations in elite football are not only a formality, but an important part of risk assessment, especially with multi-year contracts and transfers worth several tens of millions of pounds. According to reports, United wants to carry out additional checks in the United Kingdom after the agreement had already been prepared earlier, which can be interpreted as an attempt to remove all doubts before signing. For Atalanta it is also important that the transfer is properly concluded, because it is a potentially major outgoing deal at a time when the club is already adjusting its squad for the new season. Until official confirmation arrives, there remains room for caution in wording, although market sources say the deal is still on course to be completed.
Two big clubs, two different transfer dilemmas
The stories about Garnacho and Éderson show two different sides of the same transfer window. Chelsea, according to available information, is dealing with the question of how to manage a player who arrived as a major reinforcement but did not reach the expected level of impact in his first season. Manchester United, on the other hand, is trying to complete the arrival of a midfielder who should help redefine the team under Carrick. In both cases, the key word is assessment: Chelsea is assessing whether it can obtain better value by selling than by waiting, and United is assessing the medical, sporting and financial risk before concluding an already prepared transfer. Such decisions often have consequences greater than just one player, because they send a signal to the rest of the dressing room, the market and the fans about the direction in which the club wants to go.
The Premier League transfer window lasts almost until the beginning of September, so neither of these situations has to be resolved immediately. Still, the early phase of July is often crucial for shaping the main plans, especially for clubs that want new reinforcements to go through pre-season and for players who are not in the plans not to remain in uncertainty for too long. Garnacho remains under a long-term contract with Chelsea, but market signals point to the possibility of change if a serious buyer appears. Éderson is, according to reports, on the verge of joining Manchester United, but the official status of the transfer depends on final checks and a formal signature. Until then, both cases will remain among the more notable stories of the English football market, not only because of the value of the deals but also because of what they say about new sporting projects at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.
Sources:
- Chelsea FC – official confirmation of Alejandro Garnacho's arrival from Manchester United and the duration of the contract until 2032 (link)
- talkSPORT – report on Chelsea's readiness to listen to offers for Alejandro Garnacho and on his minutes in the 2025/26 season (link)
- Chelsea FC – official confirmation of the appointment of Xabi Alonso as first-team manager from 1 July 2026 (link)
- Chelsea FC – official confirmation of Marco Palestra's arrival from Atalanta and contract until 2033 (link)
- Premier League – official information on the duration of the 2026 summer transfer window for Premier League clubs (link)
- Sky Sports – report on the agreement between Manchester United and Atalanta for Éderson, the value of the package and the medical-examination condition (link)
- The Sun – report from 07 July 2026 on the expected second medical examination for Éderson before completion of the transfer to Manchester United (link)
- Manchester United – official coaching staff profile confirming that Michael Carrick signed a contract as head coach on 22 May (link)
- Atalanta BC – official information on Éderson's appearance for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Atalanta BC – official biographical and statistical data about Éderson published on his birthday in 2025 (link)