Man United turned down ex-Man City star who wowed Pep Guardiola in huge swap deal transfer

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Manchester United were finally able to shift Alejandro Garnacho this summer in a £40million move to Chelsea, but the Red Devils are said to have turned down a player swap for the Argentine winger

Manchester United reportedly turned down the chance of swapping Alejandro Garnacho for Romeo Lavia this summer, despite the Chelsea star previously impressing Pep Guardiola.

Garnacho's future at Old Trafford was cast into speculation at the end of last season, when the forward criticised his club's lacklustre Premier League campaign which saw them finish at a lowly 15th. After a summer of discontent, the 21-year-old snagged a £40million move to Stamford Bridge, while Ruben Amorim welcomed a new front line of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to strengthen his attack.

However, instead of a straight money deal, it is understood that United were offered Chelsea star Lavia as part of the deal for Garnacho, which could have gone a long way in addressing the Reds' midfield woes at present. The club were linked with Brighton's Carlos Baleba for the majority of the summer, before his club's £100m price tag eventually proved too rich for United's taste.

And despite Bruno Fernandes recently settling into a more central role alongside Casemiro as Amorim starts to turn the tide in the north west, many fans would still argue that their Portuguese skipper is more suited as a number 10. Casemiro is also entering the twilight years of his career, and has faced criticism for his lack of mobility as of late.

While United are tipped to re-enter the transfer market when it reopens in January to secure an upgrade for their engine room, whether that be in the form of another pursuit of Baleba or potentially VfB Stuttgart stalward, Angelo Stiller, life could have been made easier if they had taken the alleged deal that Chelsea were offering with regards to Lavia.

That's if Guardiola's past assessment of the defensive midfielder is anything to go off. After breaking through the youth academy of Manchester City in 2021, Lavia secured a transfer to Southampton the following year - where he racked up 34 appearances for the Saints.

More to follow...

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