Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea latest - Man United transfer stance, £40m Napoli negotiations

Manchester United and Alejandro Garnacho find themselves very much at the centre of a big January transfer window story - one that Chelsea could seek to capitalise on.

Three key steps have sent Garnacho on his current trajectory. Firstly, manager Ruben Amorim chose to drop the 20-year-old from his matchday squad for the Manchester derby in December after the Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen.

Following on, it is said Man United are under increasing pressure to sell a high-value academy player to raise money that will majorly help their standing with regards to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

As a result, players such as Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo, who were deemed untouchable last summer, now do not hold the same status.

Chelsea have taken interest to both, as a final step. In the Argentine's case they face competition this month from Serie A outfit Napoli, who recently sold Kvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain for €80m (£67.6m) so have cash burning a hole in their pocket, eager to secure a replacement before the window closes.

With that, football.london completes a round-up of the latest headlines around Garnacho's possible exit.

Negotiations

Last week Man United rejected of an opening Napoli bid in the region of £40m. The Italians then pursued other targets, though seem to have ultimately settled on Garnacho as their preferred option.

The Neapolitans' sporting director Giovanni Manna has since confirmed: "We are making some evaluations, we must not get carried away by the frenzy. There is expectation, we will be ready but on Napoli's terms."

Fabrizio Romano has claimed Antonio Conte, now manager of the Serie A outfit, is actively pushing to get this transfer done. He has been inspired to do so following a phone call between himself and the player last Friday, it is said.

Agents spotted

In a twist, Premier League rivals Chelsea are being kept informed of Garnacho's future at Old Trafford. Romano has added that they are debating a January offer.

The Argentine's representatives, Carlos Cambeiro and Quique De Lucas from the Leaders agency, were then spotted in the crowd at Stamford Bridge watching the Blues' Monday night clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

According to The Telegraph, this was not because of a formal invite from Chelsea - their intentions remain unknown.

Amorim speaks

Amorim publicly commented on Garnacho recently, suggesting there is a future for the player as part of his Man United team.

"He has talent. He needs to learn to play in a different position. He needs to play better inside," the boss told reporters.

"He improves a lot in the recovering position when he doesn't have the ball. But doing that, sometimes he's not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past. I prefer to defend and then build up with all the team to reach the final third.

"He's finding the best way to play in this system. He's improving during training. He started the last game. Let's see tomorrow. I think he changed the way he sees himself."

Garnacho stance

Our colleagues at MEN Sport understand the winger is not actively pursuing a January exit from the club despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.

As for Man United, the picture is not as clear. Increasing pressure to sell a high-value academy player in order to secure pure profit to help stay within the parameters of PSR is what has fanned the flames of this saga.

Yet the club themselves have not commented on the 20-year-old whilst the current window open until February 3 - 12 days from now.