Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Manchester United wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo should he leave amid stalling contract talks.
The 19-year-old burst onto the scene last season as the club’s latest academy graduate and his form earned him a surprise call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 after previously making his England debut.
Despite being one of the most hype youngsters in the Premier League, he is reportedly stalling over a new deal according to the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler.
As it stands, he currently has two-and-a-half years left on his current deal. He had struggled with an injury at the start of the season which resulted in a slower start but his performance against Liverpool at Anfield in the recent 2-2 draw was widely hailed alongside Manuel Ugarte.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein gave a worrying update on his future after the Liverpool game when speaking to NBC. “If a departure is going to happen [for Rashford], a sale in particular, maybe it’s more likely in the summer, but it would represent pure profit, something we hear about so much, because he was an academy graduate,” Ornstein explained when speaking on NBC on Sunday.
“In the same way that Kobbie Mainoo might be, he’s out of contract in 2027 – no news on a new deal. Alejandro Garnacho too, I don’t think anybody in that bracket is off the table. Who is, is somebody like Leny Yoro, like Amad Diallo – I think they are untouchable.
“In terms of Amorim, Manchester United’s hierarchy, they fully support him; they back him to lead this transformation of the club.”
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Chelsea have a rich backlog of options in their squad and have employed a transfer plan that has seen them acquire younger players with huge potential.
That has resulted in them having the youngest squad in the Premier League by nearly two years. The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia are all tied down on long-term deals and the project has a long-term focus which could interest Mainoo should these contract talks continue to stall.
While some may point to the fact that there are also the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka in the squad, they have all been linked with an exit as early as the current January window.
The Blues also have Andrey Santos to arrive back at the club in the future after the Brazilian has produced a fantastic loan spell in Ligue 1 at Strasbourg as well as Renato Veiga who is capable of performing in midfield or defence.
Mainoo made his debut in the Carabao Cup back in January 2023 but didn’t make his full Premier League debut until November 2023 when he started in the 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
He then went on to feature 32 times under Erik ten Hag, scoring five times including an incredible solo effort to beat Wolves 4-3 as well as a sensational long-distance effort in the draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford.
That form caught the eye of Gareth Southgate who handed him his debut in March 2023 in a friendly against Brazil. He then started four games in the European Championships including every game from the Round of 16 to the final against Spain.
