Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo had asked to leave the club on loan in the final week of the summer transfer window this year, but his wish was promptly turned down by Ruben Amorim, who wished to count on him for 2025/26.
The 20-year-old has yet to start a Premier League game for the Red Devils in five outings this season, and although he did come off the bench for them in their last three matches in the English top-flight, he has collectively played only 76 minutes.
With the FIFA World Cup approaching in 2026, Mainoo is understood to be keen on playing regularly in order to make the England side for the tournament and has kept the door to departing Old Trafford in January if his playing time does not improve.
According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are the two ‘realistic’ destinations for Mainoo, with the two Londoners expected to look into signing a midfielder or two early next year to bolster their options in the engine room.
Mainoo transfer could hinge on Amorim
Kobbie Mainoo’s transfer to Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur will heavily hinge on Ruben Amorim’s future at Old Trafford, with the Portuguese manager coming under pressure very early on this season after a slow start in the Premier League.
Amorim will keep his job for the time being after overseeing a win over Chelsea on Saturday but that’s not to say his position is not precarious, with reports suggesting that United are keeping their options open ahead of the busy run of fixtures in the winter.
Should Amorim stay and not count on Mainoo, the writing may be on the wall and both, Chelsea as well as Spurs, could consider acquiring him in January, though United would want to keep their academy graduate owing to Manuel Ugarte’s inconsistencies.
Whether Mainoo might want to leave permanently or on loan remains to be seen, but any club interested in acquiring his services for good would need to pay £79 million – a price tag Man United consider fair given his age, potential and contract duration.
Tottenham would fancy their chances of signing Mainoo ahead of Chelsea considering they can give him regular minutes, whereas the Blues would require him to compete with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for a spot in their primary starting eleven.