How Chelsea plan to immediately upgrade on Garnacho

Chelsea are fighting for revival, and with Xabi Alonso hard at work ahead of pre-season training, there’s a sense that the BlueCo era may finally be about to hit its stride.

Change was certainly needed at the end of the 2025/26 season, when Calum McFarlane stepped down from interim charge after Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior were both dismissed earlier in 2026.

The Blues need to bring further quality into the squad, but they also need to cut away some of the flotsam, which is perhaps why Alejandro Garnacho has been transfer-listed after only one year.

Why Chelsea want to sell Garnacho after one year

One year ago, Chelsea signed Garnacho from Manchester United in a deal worth £40m. Now, he’s set to leave the club.

It’s been a tough year for the Stamford Bridge side, who came tenth in the Premier League, and it’s fair to say that Garnacho did not enjoy the desired impact out on the left, only scoring one top-flight goal, starting 14 times.

Chelsea still want to turn a profit on the 22-year-old, who remains an exciting prospect, and AS Roma have registered their interest.

Perhaps Italian football would better suit the Argentina winger. The reality is that he lacked initiative and sparkle down the wing for Chelsea last season, rarely playing like a forward willing to take games by the scruff of the neck and be a talisman.

Though Chelsea don’t have European football to look forward to, they would still need to replace Garnacho with an elite upgrade.

They might just have their sights trained on the biggest prize in the transfer market.

Chelsea preparing bid for major Garnacho upgrade

Chelsea might have fallen by the wayside last term, but they remain one of Europe’s most affluent and attractive outfits, and that could be reflected through a statement deal to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig.

That’s according to the Chelsea Chronicle, who have confirmed that the Blues are in for the in-demand winger.

It’s understood that Chelsea are prepared to lodge a mammoth €100m (£87m) bid for the Ivory Coast international, with a curious trump card in their pocket that could see them win the race over Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, who are firm favourites.

Indeed, Chelsea may propose that Diomande, 19 years old, stays at Leipzig on loan for the 2026/27 campaign, a clause which may appeal to the Germans, who are still adamant that €120m (£101m) must be paid to spark a chain of events.

The suggestion is that personal terms have even been ‘agreed’ with the Blues, albeit with the player said to have made such commitments to multiple clubs.

The truth is that Garnacho paled in comparison to his Ivorian counterpart last season, and while the Premier League is widely accepted to be more intense and more difficult than the Bundesliga, Diomande’s remarkable athletic and physical attributes suggest that he would dovetail right in.

Diomande is competent out on the left or the right, so would add versatility and an edge to Alonso’s system that is currently lacking.

Moreover, he has been hailed as a “generational talent” by journalist Bence Bocsak for his dynamism and potency in the danger area, scoring 13 goals and ten assists across a stunning breakout year in Germany, thus moving up in the world and dazzling for Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

The mere fact that Garnacho missed seven big chances in the Premier League last year, only scoring once, emphasises exactly how significant an upgrade this could be.

By contrast, the teenage Diomande only missed six big chances in the Bundesliga, scoring 12 times.

Diomande is one of the brightest attacking prospects in the world, and Chelsea would hit the jackpot this summer, should they welcome him to the club.

One thing’s for sure: it would mark a significant improvement on Garnacho at the start of an exciting new era.