Verbal agreement in place: MEN — Man Utd fend off Chelsea interest to agree five-year deal with midfield starlet

Manchester United and Kobbie Mainoo have verbally agreed a five-year deal to keep the fan-favourite star at Old Trafford until 2031, according to Samuel Luckhurst.The breakthrough comes after several months of negotiations, which intensified following his return to the starting 11 under Michael Carrick. Everything heading in the right direction for #mufc on Kobbie Mainoo https://t.co/NzWzu7W6qx — Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) April 21, 2026DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYUnited and Mainoo finally reach agreement over new dealLuckhurst adds that Mainoo is poised to receive a lucrative pay rise to accurately reflect his integral role in the team; he currently pockets around £25,000 per week (Capology), but will earn in the region of £150,000 per week when he puts pen to paper on his new terms.Want more Stretty News coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustAs things stand, he would be out of contract in June 2027, although United do hold a 12-month option.On Saturday night, after missing the defeat to Leeds United through injury, the 21-year-old was instantly restored to the line-up against Chelsea in a crunch Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge.Carrick poured praise on the youngster post-match, telling reporters that he thought it was the best Mainoo had played since he arrived in M16 as interim manager. Kobbie Mainoo’s game by numbers vs. Chelsea: 100% final third pass accuracy 95% pass accuracy 68 touches 21 carries 5 ball recoveries 3 interceptions 3 tackles attempted 2 tackles won Great to have him back. ✨ pic.twitter.com/EwQKKHdGdC — Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 18, 2026Chelsea were plotting Mainoo swoop before Carrick’s appointmentRemarkably, in an alternate universe, there could well have been a situation in which Mainoo would’ve been representing the opposing team in the same fixture.Manchester Evening News’ Steven Railston has revealed that during the Carrington graduate’s ongoing omissions in Ruben Amorim’s reign, Chelsea registered their interest in signing the outcast and ‘would have pounced had the opportunity presented itself’.The United faithful will be counting their blessings that Carrick came in at just the right time to prevent such a situation from materialising, as Mainoo swiftly picked up where he left off with his tremendous performances.