Aston Villa have entered the race to sign Alejandro Garnacho, with Unai Emery’s side prepared to battle Chelsea and three other clubs.

According to a report from The Independent, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are also keen on signing Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho. The Birmingham-based outfit have emerged as a surprise contender for his signature, and they are ready to battle the likes of Chelsea, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Garnacho has only gone from strength to strength since getting promoted to the Manchester United’s first team in the summer of 2022. The 20-year-old winger enjoyed yet another successful season at Old Trafford as he contributed towards 21 goals in his 58 outings.

While he still has three years remaining on his contract, Garnacho’s future remains uncertain due to a strained relationship with manager Ruben Amorim. The 20-year-old was left out of the squad during the early stages of Amorim’s tenure, and matters worsened when he was benched for the UEFA Europa League final, despite being a regular starter throughout the campaign.

The Argentine international publicly expressed his disappointment, and he is set to part ways with Manchester United this summer. People at Old Trafford have held talks about his future, and they are ready to sanction his departure as it could help reinforce their squad as a whole. They have set a price tag of £70 million amidst interest from five top clubs from across Europe.

Five top clubs to battle for Alejandro Garnacho

Chelsea, Napoli, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have been monitoring the youngster for a while now, and Aston Villa have joined them in the race for his signature.

Atletico Madrid are keen on re-signing the 20-year-old as Diego Simeone looks to add more firepower to his squad. Napoli are looking at him as an ideal long-term replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who left the club back in January. The Partenopei were interested in him back in winter as well but could not go ahead with it because of the difference in the valuation of both clubs.

Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag has just taken charge at Bayer Leverkusen. He was the one who gave Alejandro Garnacho the break at Manchester United, and the Dutchman is certainly a big admirer of the 20-year-old. The new Bayer Leverkusen manager would love to once again work with the Argentine winger.

Chelsea also want more quality on the flanks, with Jadon Sancho returning to his parent club, Joao Felix likely to be sold and Mykhailo Mudryk serving a ban. While they have been working hard to sign Jamie Gittens, that move has collapsed for now. As a result, they could end up shifting their focus towards Garnacho.

Aston Villa emerge as surprise contender

Aston Villa are also interested in adding the Argentine international to their squad. With Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio returning to their parent clubs, Unai Emery certainly needs more firepower in the final third.

While the Aston Villa boss is keen on Garnacho’s signature, they will only go ahead with it depending on the future of Morgan Rogers, who has been linked with a move away from the club. Aston Villa might have emerged as a surprise contender, but they will certainly try to lure him to Birmingham.