Manchester United have lost their best transfer destination for Alejandro Garnacho, and they can only blame themselves.
Garnacho's departure is a near certainty, and Chelsea had reported interest in the Argentina international, with forward Christopher Nkunku potentially heading to United in a separate deal. That now seems highly unlikely following the Blues' latest move.
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have agreed a deal with Dortmund for winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, giving them the new attacking threat they needed. It almost certainly rules out a move for Garnacho, who would play the same role as Gittens for the West London club.
United need to move on from Garnacho as soon as possible, and Chelsea's interest should've presented an ideal scenario to make it happen. But United's lofty expectations may have cost them.
Man United set the bar too high with expectations for Alejandro Garnacho transfer fee, and it may have cost them already
David McDonnell of The Mirror reported that United want £60 million for Garnacho but may have to settle for £40 million.
What do they expect? United lost any leverage in potential negotiations by enduring such a public fallout with Garnacho, forcing them to slash their asking price.
Gittens may have been Chelsea's preferred choice, and Romano reports they will pay "close to" £55 million for the 20-year-old forward.
United need to start making sales. They already spent big to sign Matheus Cunha, and their move for Bryan Mbeumo could soon push close to £70 million by the time they've finished negotiating with Brentford. They need to offload some of their biggest contracts and bring in transfer fees to help fund more signings.
Garnacho is among the inevitable departures, but United haven't helped themselves by ensuring every team knows they have to move on. What team is going to overpay when they know United are desperate to sell him?
Clearly, Chelsea weren't interested enough and preferred to sign Gittens. Where does it leave United in their attempt to sell Garnacho?