Manchester United are poised to make a crucial deal for a young superstar.
The Red Devils' testing season continued on the south coast the weekend in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Despite rivals dropping points, Manchester United couldn't capitalise on their position in their table and collect a win, with Erik ten Hag storming out of a press conference at the end of the game.
Off the field, however, United are looking to overhaul their side, with several important moves being made.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Kobbie Mainoo is in talks over a new contract, with discussions described as “positive”.
“It’s crucial for INEOS to have Kobbie Mainoo as one of the faces of the new project,” the Italian journalist claimed on the Here We Go podcast.
“He is younger, he is a Manchester United product. He is really happy at Manchester United because he has the chance to play every single game. We see so many negatives with Erik ten Hag but he clearly trusted Kobbie Mainoo in a difficult situation.”
Mainoo has been touted for a move to Real Madrid but with Los Blancos stocked in midfield, that could be a non-starter. In FourFourTwo's view, it remains most likely that the England international remains at Old Trafford – something that Romano has suggested, too.
“What we can say is that conversations [over a new deal] have been going on since February,” he added. “I can confirm that United want to extend his contract.
“It’s not an urgent situation as the contract is still long and United are not in a rush, but they want to make it happen.
“They want to offer him a new deal and have already held preliminary discussions with his agents. The conversation is quite positive. Mainoo wants to stay and United want to give him an important salary to make sure the player is super happy at the club.”
Mainoo is worth €35 million, according to Transfermarkt.
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Manchester United have identified a top striker to bring in this summer. Two defenders are wanted, while 12 stars may leave. United players seem to expect Ten Hag to be sacked imminently, however.
Meanwhile, one former United star has claimed the abuse towards Marcus Rashford has now become personal and another has claimed that Andre Onana will always be under pressure at Old Trafford.
