Manchester United has declined an offer from Chelsea to include Romeo Lavia or Christopher Nkunku in the deal that transferred Alejandro Garnacho to Stamford Bridge this summer, according to sources from ESPN.
The 21-year-old Garnacho moved to Chelsea for a fee of £40 million ($52.62 million) on August 30 after losing relevance in the plans of United’s coach, Ruben Amorim.
This summer, United invested £225 million in new players, bringing in forwards Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko to bolster Amorim’s squad, as well as completing a last-minute signing of goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
However, sources indicated that even though there is recognition of a need for midfield reinforcements, United turned down Chelsea’s approach to include Lavia in the Garnacho deal due to concerns regarding the Belgian’s injury history.
Lavia joined Chelsea from Southampton during the club’s significant summer spending spree in 2023, but his playing opportunities have been limited by injuries.
Although he has shown promise when on the field, Lavia’s recurring muscular injuries have kept him out of over 75 matches, resulting in just 31 appearances in all competitions.
He has yet to complete a full 90 minutes for Chelsea and is currently unavailable due to a quadriceps injury.
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According to reports, Nkunku was also presented to United before ultimately joining AC Milan.
The forward struggled with injuries during his stint in England and was unable to replicate the success he had enjoyed at RB Leipzig in the Premier League.
Chelsea is set to face Burnley on Saturday, while United will host Everton on Monday.
Information from ESPN’s Mark Ogden contributed to this report.