Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Kobbie Mainoo’s true Man Utd contract demands revealed as Chelsea push to sign fan favourite

Kobbie Mainoo's Man Utd demands aren't as steep as reported

Kobbie Mainoo's Man Utd demands aren't as steep as reported

Kobbie Mainoo is in contract talks with Manchester United and Chelsea are trying to lure him away from Old Trafford before an agreement is reached.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is in the process of making major cuts and he and his staff are actively trying to reduce the wage bill, so several stars could leave this month.

This approach could have ramifications for Mainoo. He has been in contract talks with Man Utd for some time but so far, no real progress has been made towards an agreement for the fan favourite.

Some reports have suggested that Mainoo is demanding a salary of over £200,000 per week but TEAMtalk understands that this is not the case. The midfielder wants to paid in line with some of Man Utd’s first team stars but his demands are not that high.

We can confirm that Chelsea are monitoring Mainoo’s situation closely and have made it clear that they will move for the England international if he indicates a desire to leave Old Trafford.

Chelsea are in talks with Mainoo’s agents and sources state that a transfer could be agreed this month if the player doesn’t sign an extension with Man Utd, although a deal would be more likely in the summer.

Mainoo’s current contract is set to expire in 2027, although Man Utd have the option to extend it by another year.

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TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea will not hesitate to open talks over a transfer for Mainoo if his contract discussions with Man Utd drag on.

The talented 19-year-old would not be short of suitors should he choose to leave the Red Devils. It would still be a shock if he leaves the club where he has been since the age of nine, but Chelsea are poised to strike.

The Blues are said to be ‘well placed’ and have made it clear to Mainoo’s agents that they would welcome him at Stamford Bridge.

Any deal would be more likely towards the end of the season. Chelsea, meanwhile, are expecting multiple departures in the coming weeks, with Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Cesare Casadei and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all expected to leave.

Journalist Simon Phillips posted on his Substack page earlier today (Thursday) that Mainoo’s priority at this stage is to try and negotiate an extension with Man Utd,  with the player still needing some convincing about a prospective move to London.

Mainoo is rated very highly by the Man Utd and manager Ruben Amorim. He hasn’t been a consistent starter this season but was superb in Man Utd’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool last week.

He has chalked up 10 caps for England’s first team, is considered to be one of the most promising youngsters in Europe and Man Utd view him as one of their most important players for the future.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops and whether Man Utd are able to seal a crucial contract extension with the Stockport-born midfielder.

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IN FOCUS: Mainoo’s stats under Ten Hag and Amorim compared

Kobbie Mainoo under Ten Hag v Amorim: Appearances 9 v 8, starts 8 v 5, percentage of games started 57 v 42, minutes played 644 v 572
How much Mainoo has played under each Man Utd manager this season