A lot of people don’t realize it, at least consciously, but sales can be just as important, if not more so, than buys during a given summer transfer window. Manchester United have moved on Marcus Rashford (season long loan to FC Barcelona) this summer, but they still must jettison Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia before deadline day.
One could argue that Rasmus Hojlund is now in this category too. With Sancho and Garnacho (there has to be a hip-hop lyric of some sort written here, about these guys), a potential suitor may have been found.
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United Legend Wes Brown on United’s Scoring Problems: go here
Let’s Start with Alejandro Garnacho
Of course, Sancho and Garnacho (don’t you just love that these transfer saga names rhyme?) aren’t easy to move on, because of all the off-the-pitch baggage they carry.
According to Goal, both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC considered a move for Garnacho, but were turned off by all the baggage that comes with him.
Given a lot of what the Argentine winger has said in public, plus some of the stuff he’s posted on social media, it’s easy to see why the North London clubs just don’t feel the juice is worth the squeeze with this guy. However, Chelsea apparently do.
They are moving ahead, and how close this deal is to getting done/not getting done depends on who you read and if you believe them.
According to that same Goal article, Stamford Bridge wants “a deal in the region of £30 million ($41m), but United’s valuation sits much higher at around £50m ($68m).”
Moving on to Jadon Sancho
It’s funny that Chelsea is leading the way for Garnacho, given how they took Sancho out on loan last year, with an obligation-to-buy contract contract. And the situation worked out so poorly, for all involved that Chelsea decided to actually pay the penalty fee over signing Sancho permanently.
That really says a lot about how they value him.
However, AS Roma apparently see some worth, value and potential in Sancho. They have submitted an official bid to sign him, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano (as cited in the Manchester Evening News). The Serie A side offered £20 million for the 25-year-old English winger.
That’s a massive loss, way down from the £73 million United paid Borussia Dortmund for him in 2021, but hey, a flop is a flop.
And as the late country music legend Kenny Rogers taught us “you got to know when to fold ’em.”
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. 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