‘Significant acceleration’ made: Man Utd hashing out remaining 1% of January transfer terms, deal practically done

Reports in Italy are now claiming that Kobbie Mainoo’s move to Napoli is ‘99 per cent’ done.The Manchester United starlet has been heavily tipped for a mid-season departure, as he looks poised to enter the January window without making a Premier League start under Ruben Amorim.Indeed, Mainoo has been used sparingly by the head coach since 2025/2026 got underway and, even aside from his personal development, it’s the last thing any player needs as we approach a World Cup year.The state of play with Kobbie Mainoo(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Carl Anka of The Athletic suggested towards the end of last week that if it weren’t for the 20-year-old being a Manchester-born, lifelong Red and academy graduate, he’d likely be pushing for a permanent transfer away from United next month, as opposed to a half-season loan. Ruben Amorim appears unconvinced by Kobbie Mainoo’s capabilities and the midfielder is now seeking a move in January. He has played for just 171 minutes in the Premier League this season. It’s a sad situation for player and fanbase – and makes @Ankaman616 wonder what the modern… pic.twitter.com/gdW4SFsQh5 — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) December 6, 2025You can’t really blame him, either.In the last three league matches, Mainoo has featured for a grand total of 13 minutes, making a one-minute cameo against Crystal Palace, being an unused substitute for the draw with West Ham, and playing 12 minutes in last night’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.When he finally got the nod from Amorim to enter the fray at Molineux, he got the warmest reception of any player on the pitch from the travelling Red Devils faithful.Mainoo and Napoli: What’s been said this week?(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)This morning, journalist Luca Cerchione divulged some potential advancements regarding Mainoo’s negotiations with reigning Serie A champions Napoli.“In the past few days, I received a phone call from a friend of Mr Stellini, who informed me that he had learned that there had been a significant acceleration in the sale of Mainoo, even talking about percentages close to 99%,” he said, as cited by Sport Witness.“Naturally, the person who gave me this transfer rumour didn’t cite Stellini as his source.”