Tottenham Hotspur are stepping up their efforts to sign Kobbie Mainoo, with a report suggesting Manchester United could ‘cash in’ amid uncertainty over how much money to offer the midfielder.
Mainoo has played 72 times for Man Utd so far, having made his first-team debut in January 2023. He enjoyed a breakout season under Erik ten Hag in the 2023-24 campaign, forcing his way into United’s starting eleven and making 32 appearances after recovering from an ankle injury.
Mainoo is still only 20 years old but has shown remarkable composure on the ball, while he is also capable of popping up with crucial goals for his team.
Mainoo was rotated more last season as muscle injuries stopped him from establishing himself as a key player under Ten Hag’s replacement, Ruben Amorim.
United have been in contract talks with the starlet for over a year as his current deal expires in June 2027 and is worth £25,000 a week, far less than most of his team-mates.
Mainoo wants a big pay rise, with some outlets claiming he is demanding up to £150k per week, but United are unsure whether to sanction such a deal as they aim to trim down their wage bill.
It emerged on Thursday that contract discussions are at a ‘stalemate’, with Tottenham ‘closely monitoring’ the situation.
According to an update from GiveMeSport, Tottenham are intensifying their interest in Mainoo and have ‘made contact’ to see if a transfer can be done this summer.
Tottenham are ‘moving on’ from Morgan Gibbs-White after he signed a new contract at Nottingham Forest and are now focusing on Mainoo’s potential capture.
Spurs have signed a number of top young players in recent transfer windows and Mainoo is their latest target. Thomas Frank’s side believe he has the potential to become one of the best midfielders around.
Spurs have made ‘enquiries’ as they hope Ruben Amorim and co. will be tempted to ‘cash in’ on Mainoo this summer. His sale would go down as pure profit on United’s books and this would help Amorim land a new striker.
It is unclear exactly how much United would want to sell their academy graduate. They have previously been tipped to hold out for £70-80million (up to €92m / $108m), but his contract situation could see that price drop.
United would rather sell Mainoo to a team abroad than to a Premier League rival such as Spurs, though.
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Man Utd facing Kobbie Mainoo ‘dilemma’
Last week, talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders discussed the dilemma United are facing around Mainoo and how much money they should offer him.
“I know his agent, and he’s not asking for too much money in comparison to what the players are earning at Man United,” Saunders said.
“But it’s a dilemma for the football club, what do you do with Mainoo? How much money do you pay him?
“Because he’s actually not done much in the game but gets in the England squad and now he’s in Man United’s team and there’s players earning three times more than him, four times more than him.
“So to protect their asset, how much money have you got to give him to get him to sign a new contract?
“Or, if he’s not going to sign it, they’re going to have to sell him, otherwise he walks out on a free. But I think he’d get in Spurs’ team.”
This contract uncertainty could aid Spurs’ chase to add Mainoo to their ranks.
Signing Mainoo would be a real signal of intent from Spurs as he looks set for a very bright future in the Premier League.
The move would also frustrate United fans as they would be losing a coveted talent who is regarded as ‘one of their own’.
Mainoo’s transfer is not advanced yet, but this is certainly one to watch as Spurs ramp up their efforts to take him to north London.
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We understand the outgoing United player has greenlit the transfer, too.
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