Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will reportedly turn down the opportunity to extend his contract at the club so he can move abroad.
Mainoo is one of the best players to come through the Man United youth academy in the last decade.
He broke into the Red Devils’ first team under Erik ten Hag in the 2023/24 season, making 24 appearances in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old earned his England debut and a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for last summer’s European Championship after impressing in a dysfunctional United team.
Mainoo is highly-rated at the club and around Europe, attracting transfer interest from rivals Chelsea in the winter transfer window.
This time last year, the teenager was deemed ‘untouchable’ by United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who was open to offers for every player, except for Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.
Nobody is safe at Old Trafford now, from the tea lady to club captain Bruno Fernandes.
Ratcliffe’s overhaul has been brutal and made an already extremely miserable atmosphere even worse with his job cuts and questionable cost-cutting decisions.
That, on top of players like Antony and Scott McTominay leaving United to have success elsewhere, could be the reason Ruben Amorim loses some of his better players and Mainoo is one star believed to be open to a transfer.
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This is according to a report from Guardian Sport, where it is claimed that Mainoo ‘is minded to reject the offer of a new contract at Manchester United and seek a move abroad’.
As an academy graduate who joined the club at the age of six, this comes as quite a surprise, but you can hardly blame him.
Mainoo only has two years remaining on his current deal and has been in talks over an extension and pay rise for some time.
Talks are clearly not going well and the England international is seriously considering leaving Old Trafford.
The report claims that Man United ‘would be open to selling’ the player and believe he is worth ‘around £70million’.
Chelsea’s previous interest is mentioned, however, Mainoo ‘moving to another Premier League club is not currently part of his thinking’.
United are not losing hope of agreeing a new contract with the teenage midfielder and believe he ‘could still agree to improved terms’ on the £20,000-a-week he currently earns.
Mainoo is certainly underpaid, especially when you consider the monstrous wages some of his peers are on.
Casemiro – who the Englishman has consistently performed better than since breaking into the side – is believed to earn over £300,000 per week.
While United want to keep hold of their best youngster, the fee from selling him ‘would be a welcome boost’, especially as an academy graduate able to be sold for ‘pure profit’.
With the relationship between the club and fans getting more strained every week, selling a homegrown player while head coach Amorim wants to rebuild the team ‘would be difficult for many fans to accept’.
No contact has taken place between United and interested clubs but they would ideally sell Mainoo in the summer to maximise his value.
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