‘Told by sources at the club’: Ornstein rates one side’s chances of signing £81.5m Man United duo in Jan

Amid their calamitous start to the 2025/2026 campaign, West Ham have been linked with Manchester United wantaways Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee.Particularly the latter, as he is featuring even less than his teammate following the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha at Old Trafford this summer.Joshua Zirkzee: The state of play this season(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Zirkzee has yet to even start a game in any competition this term, and has been an unused substitute for five of United’s opening eight Premier League matches. In regard to the times he has played, his lengthiest cameo (59 minutes) came back on August 30 when he was called upon to replace the injured Cunha in the first half against Burnley.Since then, however, the Dutchman featured for a measly 10 minutes in the Manchester derby and for just five minutes of the side’s defeat to Brentford on September 27.Reports over the last week have suggested the Irons are preparing a formal loan offer for Zirkzee, having deemed him a suitable addition to try and turn Nuno Espirito Santo’s fortunes around; West Ham currently sit 19th-placed and have won one game all season.Mainoo also faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)As for Mainoo, he is vying with his skipper, Bruno Fernandes, for a starting spot under Ruben Amorim, which has led to him spending the majority of 2025/2026 so far watching on from the bench.After missing out on the opening two fixtures entirely, Mainoo has been utilised in each gameweek since then. However, his time on the pitch has not exceeded the half-hour mark since the end of August.The 20-year-old, valued in the region of £45 million by INEOS chiefs, asked to leave United on loan in the final week of the summer window, but saw his request rebuffed.Fabrizio Romano anticipates that Mainoo will reiterate his desire to depart on loan in January if his situation hasn’t changed.David Ornstein was pressed on whether either of the Red Devils outcasts could end up at the London Stadium in two months’ time, to which he responded: “I am told by sources at the club that they (West Ham) are looking to bring in a few new players. A forward would surely be on the agenda, but not Ivan Toney. Other players are linked with them: Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United.“But I think it’s a pretty remote chance [that the Hammers get either of them]. We don’t even know if they will be leaving Old Trafford.”Footage courtesy of NBC Sports.