Manchester United are determined to keep hold of young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo despite contract talks faltering, according to reports.
The 19-year-old’s current £20,000-a-week deal expires in June next year leaving his future up in the air, and clubs such as Chelsea are said to be circling the gifted teenager.
After a winter transfer window full of rumours of United cashing in on the Carrington graduate, the club are now trying to tie him down with a long-term contract with much improved terms.
But worrying claims from Football Insider suggest that Mainoo is “ready to reject the offer of a new Old Trafford contract and seek a move overseas.”
The report continues that United won’t go down without a fight, and “have not given up hope of keeping Mainoo around”, but the overall narrative is far from positive.
Football Insider report that the Red Devils will keep pushing for a new deal with the player until the end of the season, but should no agreement be reached the academy graduate may be on his way out of Old Trafford.
Reports in Spain earlier this week indicated that Chelsea are ready to take advantage of the situation and swoop in with a £79m offer.
Despite a desire to keep hold of Mainoo, United’s well-documented financial struggles and need for a squad rebuild might make a bumper bid tempting for decision-makers.
But for fans, losing the teenager would be a disaster – both in terms of his loss to the team and the wider picture it paints of the state of the club.
Mainoo exploded onto the scene under Erik ten Hag last season and the supremely talented midfielder has been a United feelgood story when not much else has gone to plan.
It is believed that the player would choose to move abroad rather than join a Premier League rival due to the connection with the Red Devils.
But a teenage England international with the world at his feet looking for a way out from his boyhood club points to deep-seated issues behind the scenes.
Mainoo is currently sidelined with an injury and did not immediately pin down a role in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, although turned in a few impressive performances under the Portuguese, particularly thriving further forward.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
