- 23 hours ago
Chelsea draw up Garnacho scheme with exciting Plan B
Chelsea's pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho is expected to become a last-minute affair and there is an exciting contingency plan should the Blues fail to land a winger before the deadline, according to a report.
The Manchester United attacker could still depart Old Trafford before February 3. Man Utd would reluctantly sanction his sale at the right price and Garnacho has no shortage of suitors.
READ MORE: Deal agreed as Blues attempt Arsenal hijack
Napoli and Chelsea are both battling for the youngster's signature, although the former have been the most active in courting him. According to Sky Sports, the Blues, for their part, have yet to open formal talks with Man Utd, although preliminary discussions over a potential deal started even before the window opened.
The same outlet reported earlier this week that Garnacho was 'giving priority' to Napoli but now suggests that he would favour a move within the Premier League. Chelsea are said to be 'lying in wait' for an opportunity to pounce.
Garnacho to go down to the wire
The Daily Mail has now seconded this and reports that Chelsea's pursuit of Garnacho could 'go down to the wire' as this is not expected to be a deal that will be done quickly.
The outlet also reports that there are at least four other options Chelsea are looking at, though not all of them are wingers. Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund, Nico Williams of Athletic Club, Ipswich striker Liam Delap and, of course, Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel are also under consideration.
READ MORE: Chelsea in talks to sign 16-year-old Brazilian wonderkid
However, the first three options are not expected to become available before the summer and the latter, according to recent reports coming out of Germany, has reservations about joining Chelsea as he is looking for regular game time.
This, then, means that Chelsea could instead look for an in-house solution. Should they fail to land a winger this month, Enzo Maresca is expected to give more minutes to Tyrique George going forward, with the 18-year-old recently promoted to the first team.