Alejandro Garnacho kept his promise when he refused Bayern Munich's invitation. However, the Argentine is no longer in demand at Manchester United under coach Ruben Amorim.
Garnacho has clearly stated that his only option is Chelsea, otherwise he would stay at Old Trafford. The risk of missing the opportunity to leave Man United before the end of the 2025 summer transfer window is clearly visible for this player.
The Blues are serious about owning the Argentine striker, but are still short of around £10 million compared to the valuation offered by Man United.
The "Red Devils" are demanding a fee of around £40 million for the 21-year-old, while Chelsea are only ready to spend a maximum of £30 million so far. Garnacho is currently among the players who have to train separately at Carrington, alongside Marcus Rashford, before the English star moved to Barcelona.
Garnacho has not played an official match since publicly expressing his disappointment at being benched in the Europa League final against Tottenham last season. In May, he frankly shared:
"Before the final, I played in all the rounds to help the team, but today I only played 20 minutes. I really don't understand.
The final will definitely affect my decision, but not only that, but also the season and the situation of the club. I will try to enjoy the summer and wait and see what happens" - Garnacho said.
Stamford Bridge owners continue to show great ambition in the transfer market this summer. Chelsea spent £48.5m to own Jamie Gittens, spent £65m on Joao Pedro, paid £37m on Jarrel Hato and approved a £30m signing deal for Liam Delap.
Despite spending a lot of money, Enzo Maresca still wants to add more strength to the squad. And the top target is Garnacho - who is also hungry to leave Old Trafford.
However, Chelsea will not be able to sign any new players if they have not liquidated the players. And this unintentionally opens up opportunities for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
According to British media, Bayern have been exploring the possibility of signing Garnacho, but have quickly received a notice that the Argentine player only wants to wear the Chelsea shirt.
The Bavarians have previously been linked with Christopher Nkunku - the name Maresca is ready to leave this summer. However, Chelsea's loan offer was rejected.
The Blues are prioritizing fixed-term transfer deals over loans. According to some sources, RB Leipzig - Nkunku's former team - is stepping up negotiations to bring the French striker back to the Bundesliga in a buy-in format.
At the same time, Nicolas Jackson could also become a " lever" to help Chelsea increase their budget. Aston Villa are ready to compete directly with Newcastle in the race for the Senegalese striker's signature.
The Blues are valuing Jackson at around £60 million. This player's form has declined after a series of unimpressive performances in the summer. He has previously been linked with Man United and Arsenal, but his next destination remains a question mark.
Maresca hopes this summer's transfer window will end in a busy manner. Not only with the arrival of Garnacho and the parting deals, but also with the addition of a new defender to Chelsea.
Levi Colwill will be out for most of the new season after previous cruciate ligament surgery. Although Chelsea still have some alternatives, Maresca has emphasized his desire to add more quality options to the defense.
Maresca frankly admitted: "I think we need a centre-back. We are looking for an internal solution, but as I said, the club knows exactly what I want."
When asked again after the Premier League opening day draw against Crystal Palace, the Italian strategist replied briefly: "Do you like to talk about the centre-back? I said. Thank you very much".
