Manchester United are reportedly soon set to receive a concrete approach from Inter Milan to sign Kobbie Mainoo – and the chances of him departing for Italy cannot be discounted with Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking a firm stance over the player’s wishes to sign a new deal at Old Trafford.
The teenager is a big fans favourite at Old Trafford having enjoyed an outstanding breakthrough campaign in the 2023/24 season, in a campaign that resulted in Manchester United surprisingly beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. And with Mainoo scoring in that final, as well as a cracker in an epic quarter-final against Liverpool along the way, his status as a cult-hero at the club has already been assured.
However, Mainoo remains one of, if not the, lowest-paid player in the United squad, where he still sits on the relatively modest £20,000 a week deal he signed back in February 2023.
And while talks have begun over an extension, claims he is seeking a deal in the region of £150,000 a week have not gone down well with the hierarchy and with minority shareholder Ratcliffe refusing to budge to his demands.
Furthermore, with the player having failed to find his rhythm this season and having struggled to replicate his best form while operating in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, the possible sale of the star has been mooted this summer.
Now according to Calciomercato, Inter Milan are keeping a close watch on his situation and are preparing an approach to test United’s resolve to retain the 19-year-old’s services.
It’s claimed they view the 10-cap England star as the ideal midfielder to boost their engine room this summer, seeing him as the perfect age and profile to come into their side next season.
Furthermore, with interest in the player heating up, it’s reported that Inter are planning a formal approach to United over a deal for Mainoo in the coming weeks.
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Could Man Utd really sell Kobbie Mainoo?
The sale of such a popular figure would not sit well with United’s fanbase, especially with the club priding itself on promoting their own youth and moreso in light of the recent departure of another homegrown product in Marcus Rashford.
However, there is no doubting that Mainoo has failed to capture his best form under Amorim, with the 3-4-2-1 formation not designed to get the best from his game. With nine matches remaining in the Premier League campaign, Mainoo is yet to score or assist from 18 appearances in the competition so far.
To that end, a sizeable offer for United – who need cash this summer to help Amorim’s rebuilding plans – could well be considered by the board.
And while sources have stressed to us that the midfielder’s priority remains on staying at United and committing to a new deal, his excessive demands could yet unhinge those plans and lead to his sale.
United reportedly value Mainoo in the £70m bracket, though former Man City advisor Stefan Borson recently revealed he thinks the club will struggle to attract anything higher than a £40m to £50m bid.
“I think there’s a big issue as to where he’s going to go abroad. I don’t really see that. No league in the world can outpay what the Premier League would pay, so I think if he’s going to go, the likelihood is he stays in the Premier League somewhere,” Borson stated.
“We know Chelsea have expressed interest. I would think if he does leave United, which I think he probably won’t, then he’ll stay in the Premier League. Otherwise, you’d really question who in European football has got the money to pay £40-50million for him.
“I can’t see it. You are talking about Bayern Munich and PSG. It’s hard to think of anybody else that would be interested and could actually do the deal.
“It’s not that teams wouldn’t be interested, but in terms of being able to do the deal, it feels like probably just those two teams.”
Mainoo one of TWELVE who could leave Man Utd; free-agent striker links
Meanwhile, Mainoo is not the only big-name star being tipped to leave United this summer.
With Amorim desperate to fashion a side capable of challenging for the game’s top prizes, it’s reported that a number of top names will all be shown the door by the club this summer – with Ratcliffe already deciding the names of 11 players who are to be moved on and with £380m worth of talent ruthlessly told to leave.
Those exits will potentially free United up to make several quality signings, and with a new striker very much expected to be right at the top of their wishlist.
To that end, journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed United are ‘a club to watch’ in the chase for Dusan Vlahovic – and the respected transfer journalist has also been able to reveal which teams are not concrete suitors for the Juventus frontman.
Meanwhile, United are also reportedly stepping up the chase to sign soon-to-be free-agent striker Jonathan David – and the striker has made a big admission over his future with his desire to succeed at a major club underlined.
Elsewhere, United look to have an ‘ace card’ in the race to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling this summer, with Amorim’s secret weapon’ set to aid their quest to beat the likes of Man City and Tottenham to the deal.