Mail: Man Utd talks ‘moving in the right direction’ with growing ‘confidence’ a deal can be agreed

Manchester United are locked in negotiations with Kobbie Mainoo to agree a new and improved deal.At present, the young starlet earns a reported £20,000 per week, with a new contract poised to see his salary bumped to accurately reflect his role at the club.Kobbie Mainoo: What’s been said as of late?Mainoo did not start a single league game under Ruben Amorim in 2025/2026. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)MailSport claims that talks between all parties are ‘moving in the right direction’ and there is ‘a lot more confidence’ now than there was at the beginning of the year, when Mainoo was operating a heavily reduced role under Ruben Amorim. United sources refusing to rule out a late loan for a midfielder. But Ineos are gambling big time if they opt against it between now and Monday’s deadline with UCL a must. That + a few other Qs in here #mufc https://t.co/rvX5o5DxDU — Nathan Salt (@NathSalt1) January 27, 2026Throughout the first half of the campaign, reports strongly suggested that Mainoo would explore a move away from Old Trafford this month unless his situation improved.However, since Michael Carrick took the reins, the 20-year-old has started both of United’s crunch Premier League fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal, overseeing tremendous performances in each.In fact, Fabrizio Romano even claimed in the lead-up to the Emirates encounter that Mainoo was considered ‘untouchable’ by Carrick, which is a sentiment that’s certainly echoed by the Red Devils faithful. 🚨 Michael Carrick confirms full trust in untouchable Kobbie Mainoo, starting his second game in a row under new coach. pic.twitter.com/aEUTNAaQX0 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 25, 2026Mainoo U-turns on his future – much to fans’ delightMainoo covered the most distance of any player in the last two matches. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)It’s now highly anticipated that Mainoo will stay put and commit his long-term future to his boyhood club while doing his bit to aid their quest in securing Champions League qualification from now until the end of the term.From the midfielder’s point of view, he’ll also be keen to get back to his best form in order to catch the eye of Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup. Mainoo has 10 England caps to his name already, with the bulk coming in the Three Lions’ 2024 Euros campaign.