Chelsea urged to sign £40m England World Cup star to replace Alejandro Garnacho

Chelsea have been urged to sign one of England’s World Cup nearly-men to replace outgoing winger Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho, 22, is closing in on a move to Roma after a disappointing first season at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s £40m deal for Garnacho was seen as somewhat of a coup given he is an Argentina international and was one viewed as one of the most highly-rated players at Manchester United.

But Garnacho endured a miserable season in west London, scoring just one goal in the Premier League and struggling for minutes in an underperforming Chelsea side.

Both Chelsea and Garnacho believe a move is in the best interest of all parties and Serie A side Roma look set to sign the Argentine in the coming days.

Big-spending Chelsea will likely look to replace Garnacho in the transfer window and former midfielder Andy Townsend believes England star Marcus Rashford fits the bill.

Rashford is searching for a new club after Barcelona decided not to sign him on a permanent transfer, instead spending £70m on his England teammate Anthony Gordon.

Manchester United are not planning to reintegrate Rashford into Michael Carrick’s first-team squad and Chelsea have been tentatively linked with a move.

‘I think Marcus Rashford improves Chelsea’s squad, he is an improvement on Alejandro Garnacho, that’s for sure,’ Townsend told CasinoHawks.

‘The number we were talking about was £35m. I’m very surprised that no one has come to get him for that money, even if he’s 28.

‘Wide strikers are asked to produce a lot of output nowadays, and there aren’t many operating in the top flight at thirty-two or thirty-three. So these next couple of years for Marcus are big. It has to be the right move. 

‘He’s on massive wages, which is an issue for any club, but you’d think he could get that to a level everyone finds acceptable. A club like Chelsea might suit him.

‘I could see that. I like Pedro Neto, but he sometimes flatters to deceive. Garnacho is far too inconsistent, like Jadon Sancho, those sorts of players are difficult to accommodate.

‘Rashford showed at Barcelona that he can play at a big club, he understands that mentality.

‘At £35m, I’d be surprised if a deal doesn’t get done, depending on his salary demands. If he wants to stick on £300,000-a-week, then he’s going to have a problem.

‘But there’s no point in going back to Manchester United and not playing at his age. That doesn’t send a great image to potential suitors if he’s happy to just sit on the bench.

‘Marcus and his team should be working around the clock to find the right environment for him at the right level, wage-wise. You want to play.

‘At nearly 29, he’s in his peak, and he needs to be out there more often than not.’

Alonso, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, held his first Chelsea press conference earlier this week after taking over at Stamford Bridge at the start of July.

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