Chelsea are preparing a £70m offer for Man Utd midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as they look to take advantage of the Red Devils ‘serious financial fair play issues’, according to reports.
The Red Devils are struggling in the Premier League this season with Ruben Amorim’s side currently 13th in the Premier League table ahead of their match against bottom club Southampton on Thursday.
After a hard start to life at Old Trafford, Amorim seems to be getting a grip of things at Man Utd with the Red Devils putting in two promising performances against Liverpool and Arsenal in the last couple of fixtures.
Mainoo started in both those fixtures and is seen by Man Utd to be key to their future midfield but a report last week insisted a potential transfer to Premier League rivals Chelsea ‘has legs’.
And now Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has told Sky Sport that Chelsea are ‘ready to consider sending an offer close to £70m’ for Man Utd midfielder Mainoo.
Tavolieri wrote:
‘Faced with serious financial fair play issues, the Red Devils have been reduced to accepting the unacceptable… a significant offer from a club, whether English or foreign, for any element of Ruben Amorim’s squad will have to be considered and negotiable. Kobbie Mainoo is one of them.
‘While discussions had already started with the Mancunian management with a view to extending his contract at the beginning of the summer of 2024, the current dynamic could therefore completely change the future of the English prodigy at Old Trafford.
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‘Already informed of this situation, Chelsea Football Club took the opportunity to come and sound out Mainoo’s entourage and representatives. Still with this idea of recovering the best youngsters in Europe in order to make them grow within the London club, the Blues would even be ready to consider sending an offer close to seventy million pounds to convince Omar Berrada and the United board.
‘Under contract until June 2027, to which is added an option year, Kobbie Mainoo could quickly become annoyed by the lack of ambition within the Mancunian club and draw the necessary consequences.
‘At 19, the English midfielder is a child of the club and obviously gives it priority, but while we often praise the omnipotence of star players, increasingly prone to bending their clubs to the benefit of excessive desires, the situation could take a completely different turn here since it is Manchester United who could push the midfielder to accept the idea of a departure to save the finances of his training club.
‘Napoli’s priority to replace Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Alejandro Garnacho could also be that player if the clubs manage to find an agreement and therefore eliminate the option of Mainoo leaving… but will the Stockport native emerge unscathed from this rather disturbing episode?’
