If you had recently forgotten that the January transfer window still exists, I don’t blame you. This current edition has been pretty lifeless. Even by winter window standards, it is has been pretty dead out there. However, things are starting to finally warm up now, at least on the Manchester United side. Not so much when it comes to additions, but things are happening when it comes to subtractions- here is the latest on the potential exit narratives surrounding Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford.
UEFA Europa League Matchday 7 of 8
Manchester United vs Rangers
Kickoff: Thursday, Jan. 23, 8pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
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UEL Standing, Form: Man United 7th, 12 pts, DDWWW Rangers 8th, 11 pts, LWDWD
Alejandro Garnacho
The Argentinian international once had some major promise at United, as he was even named to the Kopa Trophy (best young player) short list. Under Erik ten Hag, Garnacho was sometimes productive and efficient, although he did have some disciplinary issues here and there. Now he could see his time at Old Trafford come to an end.
Sky Sports in Italy report that United are even ready to lower their asking price, following their meeting with Napoli today, in order to close this deal. They’ll drop the Garnacho price from €75m to €65m (a sum that includes add-ons and performance incentives).
Napoli have reportedly offered about €50-55m, so we’ll see if they can find some common ground around…60 million maybe?
Antony
Maybe the worst acquisition of the Ten Hag era, and certainly among the worst in club history, Antony cost 85 million GBP, and had very few goal contributions to show for it. But now he is off to Real Betis, on a loan deal. The La Liga club will sign him on a contract that does not include an option to buy.
He is set for a medical, according to Fabrizio Romano.
🚨⚪️🟢 Antony to Real Betis, here we go! Verbal agreement in place between all parties with Man United too.
Documents being checked; then time for travel and medical tests.
United will let him leave on loan deal with 𝐧𝐨 buy clause. He’ll be formally back to United in June. pic.twitter.com/2Bywbzdxvj
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 20, 2025
Marcus Rashford
This situation is certainly getting tedious. We’ve seen a lot of plot twists and turns on the Rashford saga, but the latest, according to Goal, claims that his reps are meeting with FC Barcelona, in Portugal, to hold more talks.
But going forward, if United jettison Garnacho, Rashford and Antony at the same time, and don’t replace them with anybody, what will happen to their forward depth?
You have Amad Diallo, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes and who else for the final third, some of the kids? What about squad rotation? The club is still alive in three different competitions, and the injury bug might still bite.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.