Whitwell: Man Utd fan-favourite snubbed shock £40m move to Premier League rivals

Kobbie Mainoo reportedly rebuffed the chance to join Chelsea at the end of last season.According to Laurie Whitwell, the Blues looked to materialise their interest in the Manchester United starlet before 2025/2026 got underway, but the prospective transfer held no appeal for Mainoo. How Michael Carrick saved Manchester United’s season 🔺 Surveying players on best positions🔺 Connection all across Carrington🔺 Overriding questions on experience🔺 Board approval at ExCo in Monaco🔺 Other managers considered FREE to read ⬇️ #MUFChttps://t.co/nQu9iJrPjT — Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) May 24, 2026DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYMainoo has previously considered a future away from MUFCLittle did he know, he would go on to endure the most difficult five months of his senior career when the new campaign got underway.Want more Stretty News coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustFor his own peculiar reasoning, Ruben Amorim headed into what would’ve been his first full season at Old Trafford with the intention of Mainoo playing a reduced role.Amorim insisted that the youngster was directly vying with his skipper Bruno Fernandes for game time, as he was bizarrely being utilised in a deeper position. “I think the club couldn’t afford to lose a player like him” Burno Fernandes with nothing but praise for Kobbie Mainoo 🤝 pic.twitter.com/jTf3uZbw8K — Sky Sports (@SkySports) May 3, 2026After being an unused substitute for United’s opening two matches of the term, Mainoo pushed to leave in the final week of the transfer window, but saw his pleas fall on deaf ears amongst INEOS chiefs.Why Mainoo U-turned on his United futureThe Carrington graduate continued having to bide his time for the first half of the campaign until, to nobody’s surprise, United’s dismal showings and poor tactical setup resulted in Amorim being relieved of his duties at the beginning of January.By the time he was dismissed, Mainoo had not made a single Premier League start, which had prompted speculation that he would try to force a winter move.Thankfully for fans, Michael Carrick was appointed midway through the month and quickly corrected matters; he instantly restored the 21-year-old to the starting XI, where he stayed for the remainder of the campaign. Manager Appearances Starts Minutes played Amorim 11 0 212 Carrick 16 16 1,426 Mainoo’s record under each manager in 25/26 (Transfermarkt)In fact, Mainoo enjoyed such a revitalised run of form that he became the only current United player (along with the on-loan Marcus Rashford) to be named in England’s World Cup squad. Kobbie Mainoo rattles it in at the Stretford End! 💥 pic.twitter.com/3HDRLnyC4D — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 3, 2026It’ll be his second major tournament after playing at Euro 2024, as well as his first World Cup.Last month, the Stockport-born ace committed his future to his boyhood club by signing a five-year extension.