Man Utd outline clear Kobbie Mainoo stance amid contract wrangle and Chelsea link
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Manchester United are confident they can reach an agreement with Kobbie Mainoo over a new deal that will keep him at the club long-term. Mainoo is under contract until 2027 but is in talks with United about a new deal that would see his current £20,000-a-week wage rise considerably to reflect his new-found value to the team. It is understood Mainoo's representatives are looking for £200,000-a-week under the terms of the new deal, which would put the 19-year-old midfielder among United's top five earners.
Casemiro is United's current highest earner, on £350,000-a-week, followed by Marcus Rashford on £325,000, skipper Bruno Fernandes on £300,000 and Mason Mount, who earns £250,000. United are understood to be confident of reaching a compromise with Mainoo on a pay increase, one that acknowledges his emergence as a regular starter under new boss Ruben Amorim. Chelsea are monitoring Mainoo's ongoing contract situation and have emerged as the favourites to sign the England international, should United be unable to agree new terms with him.
United's need to comply with profit and sustainability rules – under which fees for home-grown players count as pure profit on the balance sheet – has raised the prospect of Mainoo leaving. But Amorim wants Mainoo to stay and only an exorbitant offer – in the region of £70million – would persuade United to cash in on their academy graduate, who has been at the club since the age of six.
Mainoo has made 52 appearances for United, contributing five goals and one assist, and has emerged as a key player for the club in the past 18 months. Talk of a new contract first emerged towards the end of last season, but little progress has been made since then.
