Napoli director Gioanni Manna has admitted Alejandro Garnacho’s financial demands contributed to the collapse of his proposed transfer from Manchester United in January.
After Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s surprise departure from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain early in the window, the Serie A side set their sights firmly on Garnacho who, at the start of January, still faced an uncertain future after being dropped the previous month by United head coach Ruben Amorim.
The two clubs negotiated a potential sale but Napoli quickly made it clear that they were not prepared to meet United’s demands, which reports placed anywhere from £50m to £70m. Manna has now admitted that personal terms also proved problematic.
“Garnacho is a player that we like and we have liked,” said Manna. “We considered him even before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s departure. We met. We made a very important offer to United. We came close to their demands, very close.
“In order to leave the Premier League in January, because in July it is different, the player probably wanted to be satisfied financially. It’s something which we can’t do right now, we are not willing to do and I don’t think it is right.
“When you have an average salary within the dressing room and I bring in a young player that earns a medium to high salary, I don’t find it correct for those players that are doing important work here.”
Amorim repeatedly stressed his desire to keep Garnacho, who was also of interest to Chelsea, and offered the Argentina international plenty of minutes. He started four games across the month and impressed the head coach with his response to being dropped alongside Marcus Rashford for December’s Manchester derby.
While there remains no active desire to sell Garnacho, the winger is believed to remain available for the right price as United face an uphill battle to raise the funds needed for a squad overhaul in the summer transfer window.
