Manchester United transfer update: Alejandro Garnacho 'enquiry' from new Premier League rival amidst Chelsea, Napoli interest

The Red Devils are under pressure to sell in the upcoming transfer windows in order to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

Home-grown players like Garnacho could help give boss Ruben Amorim the funds he needs to revitalise his squad and fully implement his own playstyle, but it remains to be seen if the club would sell to interested parties such as Chelsea given they are a direct rival.

Napoli have also been credited with an interest in the 20-year-old, though they may feel that the winger's reported price tag of £60m is prohibitively expensive.

Claims have emerged in the Daily Mail that Tottenham made an initial enquiry to sign Garnacho on loan from the Red Devils, but also say that Man United are willing to negotiate a permanent transfer.

Should United take the risk and sell to Spurs?

Amorim has said that United "want to continue to improve with [Alejandro] Garnacho", but it is difficult to see how far the Portuguese boss can take the club without additional signings.

United are currently 12th in the Premier League with just 29 points after 23 matchweeks, and have been defeated in six of their last 12 top-flight fixtures.

It should also be noted that Amorim's side have only found the back of the net 28 times in the league this season, making them the sixth-worst offensive team in the division.

Selling Garnacho despite the team's offensive struggles could be a risky move and place undue pressure on struggling forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee to find form.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is somewhat of a controversial figure given he has implemented unpopular cost-cutting measures during his time at Old Trafford, and selling the talented winger to a league rival would undoubtedly be another controversial move.

The Red Devils should also be wary of selling to Spurs as the London club are in the Europa League, and allowing them to strengthen could be detrimental to United's chances of winning the competition.

Amorim's side are already 12 points from the Premier League's top four, so prioritising winning the Europa League in order to qualify for the Champions League would be sensible.

Written by

Lewis Nolan