Three Prem clubs who tried to sign Kobbie Mainoo named, as Man Utd star agrees compromise

Kobbie Mainoo and his camp fielded an eye-watering number of enquiries prior to Monday evening’s deadline, and a report has revealed which three of Manchester United’s Premier League rivals tried to seal a deal.

Mainoo informed Man Utd on multiple occasions in the final week of the window that he wanted to leave the club on loan. The 20-year-old has not started a league match for United this term and was an unused substitute in the clashes with Arsenal and Fulham.

Ruben Amorim publicly stated Mainoo is in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for starts.

Given Fernandes is arguably United’s best player, is the captain, and regularly plays 90 minutes, it’s a bleak outlook for Mainoo in a World Cup year.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed Mainoo’s representatives were inundated with requests from clubs looking to secure a loan deal.

Upwards of 10 and as many as 15 different sides are reported to have lodged approaches with the player’s camp.

TEAMtalk revealed on August 29 that Tottenham were among the clubs to explore a move. A fresh update from the Daily Mail has echoed our reporting on Spurs and also named two other EPL sides who sought a deal.

The report read: ‘Napoli were leading the chase for Mainoo in the hope of reuniting him with Scott McTominay in Serie A, and Roma, Marseille, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton were among the other clubs who enquired.’

Everton would go on to land Merlin Rohl on loan from Freiburg on deadline day. The loan will become permanent to the tune of around £18m if the Toffees avoid relegation this season.

Villa, meanwhile, signed Harvey Elliott from Liverpool on loan with a conditional obligation to buy for £35m. The conditions that will trigger that deal are Elliott making 10 appearances this season.

Ultimately, Man Utd’s failure to sign a new midfielder resulted in Mainoo being denied his request to leave.

The Red Devils weren’t high on the idea of losing Mainoo even if they had landed a new midfielder – a late loan approach for Conor Gallagher was made – but the fact they didn’t closed the door on Mainoo completely.

What next for Kobbie Mainoo?

Transfer insider, Dean Jones, brought news on Tuesday of Mainoo agreeing to a compromise with Man Utd.

The club have informed him he will be given opportunities to shine this season. As such, and while Mainoo would have preferred to leave temporarily, he has agreed to knuckle down and attempt to win Amorim over.

Both Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha suffered injuries in the last-gasp 3-2 victory over Burnley on Saturday.

If either player misses time, Fernandes will be pushed further forward into one of the dual No 10 roles, thus opening up a spot in central midfield for Mainoo to take. Of course, he must still supersede one of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte to guarantee a start.

Mainoo will assess his situation again ahead of the January transfer window but United hope he has signed a new contract by that point. His current deal expires in 2027, though United do hold an option for an extra season.

Sources insist they are open to a new agreement with the player if he can fully embrace the challenge of becoming an important first-team player.

Mainoo is one of the lower earners at the club – collecting around £30,000 a week – and he is at the stage of his career where he and his representatives feel the need to kick on.

They are not convinced that Amorim has a vision of him being a first-team regular starter but for the time being, Mainoo will not shirk his responsibilities and his full focus is back on Man Utd and kickstarting their season.

VOTE: How much is Kobbie Mainoo worth? ⬇️

Latest Man Utd news – Why Leeds, Sunderland REJECTED Lammens / £100m-plus signing in 2026…

🔴⚫  Man Utd red-faced after learning why Leeds, Sunderland both rejected Senne Lammens

🔴⚫ Man Utd lock in £100m-plus signing for 2026 in spectacular DOUBLE coup – sources

🔴⚫ Hopeless Man Utd star angers Amorim with ballsy request, but could now be sold instead