Manchester United are reported to have “no interest” in a swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho and Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
United’s pursuit of a centre forward has come to include links with Jackson, whose place as Chelsea’s starting No. 9 has come under threat since the summer arrivals of Liam Delap and João Pedro.
The possibility of Garnacho and Jackson trading places, with the former heading to Stamford Bridge, has been speculated. But the likelihood of that is zero, it would seem.
The Manchester Evening News reports that while Chelsea are still thought to hold interest in Garnacho, United are not looking for any such deal to become a part-exchange or swap that would involve Jackson heading in the opposite direction.
Jackson’s modest return of 13 goals across all competitions last season is underwhelming for a striker who should be nearing his peak, while a poor discipline record that has seen him sent off multiple times in recent months alone has been a great source of frustration for Chelsea fans.
United’s striker radar is pointed elsewhere. At the start of the week, the club were reported to have whittled down a list of options to two names: Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Šeško. As of Wednesday, that shortlist had been cut further to just Šeško being the single preferred target.
Progress with the RB Leipzig frontman is thought to have accelerated in recent days due to the threat of Newcastle United, who could soon lose Alexander Isak and need a new No. 9 of their own.
Watkins is the more established option, proven in the Premier League during five seasons with Aston Villa. The England international is also valued cheaper, although perhaps only marginally, but is significantly older and therefore would be a much more short-term solution.
It is thought that RB Leipzig are asking in excess of €75 million (£65.2 million, $88.2 million), compared to Villa’s £60 million ($79.3 million) valuation of Watkins. Šeško, who scored 13 Bundesliga goals in 2024–25 is reported to be happy about United’s interest, while Newcastle have been described as pessimistic over a belief that the Slovenia international will choose Manchester.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Man Utd’s Stance on Nicolas Jackson, Alejandro Garnacho Swap Revealed.