Chelsea will soon ask a huge transfer question of rivals Manchester United, with Alejandro Garnacho's future far from settled this January. football.london understands the Blues are now frontrunners in the race for the Argentine. Old Trafford chiefs anticipate a first bid will arrive very soon as Enzo Maresca hopes to add another left winger to his squad this month.

Our colleagues at the Manchester Evening News understand Garnacho is not actively pursuing a transfer away from Old Trafford, yet his current club are well aware of their standing with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The sale of an academy graduate would go a long way to securing much-needed pure profit, and Chelsea sense an opportunity to 'profit' from the situation themselves.

With 118 senior appearances to his name at just 20-years-old, plus 23 goals and 14 assists to his name, Garnacho is one of the Premier League's biggest talents. Napoli have not entirely shied away from a deal but have focused their efforts on Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi, which has opened the door.

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Once a bid arrives on Man United's doorstep, that is truly the point at which they and the player himself will have to assess their options. As an earlier indicator, South American reporter Gaston Edul had suggested two days ago it is Garnacho's intention to remain in the Premier League.

It was left to the imagination whether this would be with Man United or another club entirely, but this is a statement Chelsea can take confidence from whilst hoping to fend off foreign suitors. Plus that said, in another post beforehand Edul had actually claimed that the winger 'is very likely' to leave during the open transfer window.

Asked about the scenario prior to Man United's Europa League tie with Rangers this Thursday, Garnacho's manager, Ruben Amorim, shied away from the discussion. He replied: "Guys, I understand the question, but let's focus on the game, I don't want to talk about that, especially before a game.

"Our focus is on the players that are here to play, we need to improve and win games to have that feeling of winning, so let's focus on that today."