Alejandro Garnacho is poised to leave Chelsea after a single season with the club, with manager Xabi Alonso looking to finalise a permanent transfer before the summer window closes. The 22-year-old joined Stamford Bridge from Manchester United last summer for a fee of €46.2 million, but managed only one Premier League goal during his debut campaign.
Garnacho did not report for pre-season training at Chelsea’s Cobham facility last week, signalling his intention to move on. Chelsea are seeking a fee of around €50 million for the Argentina winger and have dismissed the possibility of a loan deal, prioritising a permanent sale to generate funds for other acquisitions. The club have identified Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix and Rayo Vallecano’s Pep Chavarria as potential targets, with the latter arriving following the sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.
Chelsea have already secured a replacement for Garnacho in Geovany Quenda, who has officially joined the club ahead of the 2026-27 season following an agreement reached in March. The transfer from Sporting CP is valued at €50 million. Quenda missed a significant portion of the 2025-26 season with a foot injury, but has now recovered and is expected to feature prominently for Alonso’s side.
The Portugal Under-21 international is a left-footed winger comfortable playing on either flank and was considered one of Europe’s brightest young talents prior to his injury. While his recent form has been impacted by the setback, Chelsea are confident in his potential. Quenda is likely to compete with Jamie Gittens for a starting position on the left wing, particularly within a back-four system. Alonso also has the flexibility to deploy Quenda as a wing-back, a role in which he previously excelled under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, should he revert to a 3-4-3 formation. Chelsea’s acquisition of Quenda is a key factor in their willingness to allow Garnacho to depart on a permanent basis this summer.
