1
0
Giovanni Manna, Napoli’s sporting director, had said at a news conference that the club had seriously tried to sign Manchester United’s young winger talent Alejandro Garnacho in the January window. Manna said Napoli made an important proposal for the 20-year-old Argentine and that negotiations were advanced, though an agreement with the player had not been reached.
Manna made it clear just how keen the club had been to get Garnacho’s signature: “We made an important bid to Manchester United for Garnacho, and the deal was very close. We really wanted him.” The quest, however, to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia-who is headed to Paris Saint-Germain for reportedly between €70 million and €80 million-seems endless for Napoli. Being agile with technical skills, Garnacho was ideal to fill up the space which Kvaratskhelia was going to leave.
Notwithstanding, negotiations did break down over personal terms with Garnacho himself: “We weren’t able to agree on personal terms with Alejandro; he asked for an important salary to leave in January, and we must respect our players,” explained Manna. This is a discovery that indicates how Napoli does not want to disrupt the balance in the wage structure and adhere to the financial parameters of the squad.
The signing of Garnacho fits perfectly into the greater strategy of the club in making signings of youngsters with very high potential. In fact, ever since Garnacho moved to Manchester United from Atlético Madrid’s academy back in 2020, he greatly improved. The winger has already made 29 appearances this season, scoring eight times and chipping in with four assists, underlining the growing importance he has for United. His market value increased significantly, with some top European clubs showing interest.
The failure to land Garnacho led Napoli to turn their attention elsewhere to boost the attacking front. One name they had on the list was that of Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi. Still, it went on to be crystal clear that Adeyemi would instead wish to stay at his present club until this summer at the earliest, so Napoli had to turn elsewhere. As Manna explained it, “We also had contacts for Adeyemi, but he didn’t feel like moving in January.” That was the problem often faced by clubs seeking to recruit some of the best players during mid-season transfer windows.
Despite these disappointments, Napoli are still confident in the quality and unity of their current squad. Besides, the team has shown quite good results in Serie A, as it collected 54 points with a stable position in the table. Manna underlined the fact that one should not forget that this group has secured 54 points in the league so far: “We must not forget that this group has collected 54 points in the league.” It shows the trust of the club in the present roster and commitment to the seasonal objectives.
In the end, while the follow-up of Alejandro Garnacho did not culminate in a transfer, Napoli’s proactive approach to the market does reflect ambition in the club looking to improve with emerging talents. The club adheres to a strategic vision which balances acquiring new players with activities of development and support for current ones. As the season progresses, Napoli will further seize any opportunities that correspond to its goals and reinforce the values that define the philosophy of the club.
Garnacho is just a click bait. United lamine yamal. He’s untouchable
Napoli already leading their league. Can’t see any advantage in signing a middle table United flop