Man United need two things from Kobbie Mainoo if he’s to sign a new contract

Stretty News

·27 de março de 2025

Man United need two things from Kobbie Mainoo if he’s to sign a new contract

Manchester United may eventually concede defeat in their contract negotiations with Kobbie Mainoo, prompting them to oversee his sale much sooner than they’d have ever anticipated.

Not that they’d have ever planned to sell him in the first place, though.

Vídeos OneFootball

Talks over a new deal, according to Steven Railston of Manchester Evening News, have been ongoing since March 2024. Now, almost 13 months later, both parties are yet to reach a breakthrough that would see Mainoo commit his long-term future to his boyhood club.

A positive from United’s end is that he remains tied to his current terms until 2027 – plus the option of an additional season – giving them the upper hand in any potential transfer negotiations that may arise in the coming months.

Of course, for the Old Trafford faithful, the prospect of losing their academy graduate shortly after his meteoric first-team breakthrough is unthinkable, but it’s something they may have no choice but to accept if MEN’s latest report is anything to go by.

United and Kobbie Mainoo could go separate ways in the summer transfer window #mufc
– quinta-feira, 27 de março de 2025

What United need from Mainoo amid ‘genuine’ possibility he’s sold

Mainoo has made 16 appearances under Amorim. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Railston claims there is a ‘genuine chance’ United and the 19-year-old ‘go their separate ways’ in the forthcoming window. Should that end up being the route INEOS take, they’d demand a fee of around £70 million, which poses as pure profit for the club and gives them more room for manoeuvre around Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).

So, what do United need in order to avoid such a situation?

With speculation suggesting that wage demands are a mitigating factor in negotiations, Mainoo would perhaps need to accept that, at this early stage of his senior career, he’s unlikely to become one of the side’s highest earners. That would set the wrong precedent moving forward – even if he does deserve an increase on what he’s currently taking home.

Additionally, talks may need to be held with Ruben Amorim directly to determine where he best fits in the new 3-4-3 system. The head coach has struggled to get the best out of Mainoo, who’s currently injured, throughout his first few months in the dugout, and even went as far as playing him up front in the 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace last month.

Railston adds: “Amorim could view Mainoo’s future in his system in one of the No.10 roles, which means he would be competing with Alejandro Garnacho, Amad, Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.”