Napoli BLAME Garnacho for failed transfer: 'We must respect our players'

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 5 Feb 2025 11:23 GMT
• 3 min read

Napoli have blamed Alejandro Garnacho for the failed transfer in January, accusing the Man Utd winger of asking for too much money.

The Italian side were locked in negotiations with Garnacho for over a fortnight during the January transfer window.

Garnacho had been Napoli’s number one target to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after the Georgian star joined PSG for €75 million.

It had been widely reported until now that the reason why Garnacho’s transfer fell through was because Napoli couldn’t agree a transfer fee with United. It was said that Napoli would go no higher than €55m for the Argentine, with United demanding over €70m.

READ MORE: Premier League January transfers 2025: All the Done Deals

It was also widely reported that Garnacho had agreed personal terms with Napoli.

However, Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has now revealed that it wasn’t Man Utd but Garnacho’s lofty salary demands that killed the transfer.

What did Manna say?

“We made an important bid to Manchester United for Garnacho. We really wanted him,” Manna said.

“We weren’t able to agree on personal terms with Alejandro, he requested an important salary to leave in January and we must respect our players.”

Napoli subsequently signed AC Milan's Noah Okafor on loan on Deadline Day, with manager Antonio Conte said to be very unhappy with the club's failure to bring in a top-class replacement for Kvaratskhelia.

Garnacho has been unsettled at Old Trafford for some time, and has not shown his best form under new manager Ruben Amorim.

Garnacho at Man Utd

The 20-year-old Garnacho was one of the few bright lights of Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United.

He was one of the breakout stars in the Premier League in 2022-23, making eight goal contributions from 10 starts and 29 appearances.

He had a string of memorable performances, including the winner against Real Sociedad in the Europa League which made him the youngest foreign player to ever score for Man Utd in European competition.

Garnacho broke a string of records, and also starred in the Manchester derby, assisting Marcus Rashford’s winner in the 2-1 victory over Man City.

Last season Garnacho continued to impress, with 10 goals in all competitions. He scored in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Man City, hit a memorable brace in the 4-3 victory over Chelsea and scored the goal of the season with a stunning bicycle kick against Everton.

This season Garnacho has seen his star shine less bright, with just three goals and one assist in 23 Premier League games.