Chelsea and Manchester United Contemplate Sensational Christopher Nkunku-Alejandro Garnacho Swap Deal - Report

Chelsea and Manchester United are two Premier League clubs who have seen a number of players change hands in recent seasons. Juan Mata and Mason Mount are two notable players who have left Stamford Bridge to go to Manchester in the past decade, whereas the likes of Juan Sebastian Veron and Mark Hughes have left Old Trafford to head to London in the past. And it seems two new players could potentially join that list this summer, as Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku and Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho are both keen to leave. 

And, according to multiple news reports, the two could be involved in a simple swap deal between the two clubs. 

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Why is Nkunku On The Market?

Chelsea signed Nkunku in the summer of 2022 but his time at the club has seen him suffer not only from manager churn but also poor luck with injuries. 

It hasn't helped that he clearly does not feature in manager Enzo Maresca's preferred XI as he did play a lot of games last season but mainly in the cup competitions. 

Nkunku also has plenty of competitions in his preferred slots now as not only are Chelsea set to bring in more wingers, they also signed Liam Delap to compete with Nicolas Jackson for the main striker position. 

Given that, it was always likely the France international would push for a move in the summer of 2025. 

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Garnacho Available Due to Conflict With Manager

In the case of Garnacho, however, the situation is more complicated as he would normally be the kind of player who United would like to build their team around. 

However, the young Argentinian reportedly fell out with manager Ruben Amorim after publicly questioning being dropped for the UEFA Europa League final. 

The two reportedly had a heated confrontation that led to Amorim telling Garnacho in no uncertain terms to find a new club, and to make it worse it apparently happened in front of other players. 

Garnacho almost left United in the January 2025 window with Napoli and Chelsea interested, but it seems like a move to London would be likelier for him.