Three Champions League giants are pushing for Kobbie Mainoo to sign him – but Manchester United have been urged to loan him to Lyon.
TalkSPORT understands the 20-year-old wants to leave the Red Devils next month after falling out of favor under Ruben Amorim.
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Bayern Munich and Naples are among interested clubs In Mainoo, who has played just 183 minutes of Premier League football this year.
European football expert Andy Brassell told The Pitch Prospect.com that Vincent Kompany’s men would be the better choice between the two.
This is despite Napoli having already revived the careers of two of Mainoo’s former teammates, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.
“I think if you look at Napoli at the moment you can obviously see why they are interested,” Brassell began.
“There is absolutely no doubt about that. But the midfield is the strongest part of Napoli’s team.
“Look at the players, they have McTominay, [Stanislav] Lobotka, who is an absolute prince of a midfielder. André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who was brilliant from the start, and on top of that you did it [Kevin] De Bruyne is coming back.
“Is it just out of the frying pan and into the fire for Mainoo? I want him to go somewhere where I feel he’ll play a lot.”
“Look, his talent is a bit of a dilemma because, on the one hand, his talent requires him to play for an elite club.
“On the other hand, I think he has to be somewhere where he will play a lot. So, Bayern, there is a question mark again.
“What will somehow help him in the event of a move to Bayern is the fact that Konrad Laimer will move to the right side of defense almost permanently.
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Bayern over Napoli for Mainoo
“As a player who is not the same but has many of the same qualities, he is no competition for him,” Brassell continued.
“If we talk about the other players in Bayern’s midfield, [Joshua] Kimmick maybe to a certain extent, but Aleksandar Pavlović, they are different players than Mainoo.
“So I would say there’s definitely still somewhere for him to get involved.
“Kompany like guys who are really good on the ball. Mainoo is a big advantage here too. I suspect that they will try to displace Leon Goretzka next summer, if not in January.”
“Even if Ryan Gravenberch is stuck there, I have the feeling that there will be more logical opportunities for Mainoo at Bayern than at Napoli.”
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Atletico Madrid is another option for Mainoo
Diego Simeone is also said to have earmarked Mainoo as a replacement if Conor Gallagher leaves Atleti.
It would be a turning point for the midfielder, who replaced his compatriot during England’s Euro 2024 campaign.
Incidentally, Gallagher is on Man United’s six-man shortlist in 2026 after expressing his dissatisfaction at the lack of playing time.
The 22-time England international even saw a possible loan move to Old Trafford rejected on Deadline Day in August.
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Brassell told The Pitch Prospect: “The other one we have to mention, the other big European club that have shown interest in him [Mainoo]has to be Atlético Madrid.
“Sometimes you feel like they could show a little more skill in midfield. Now they’ve brought in Thiago Almada and Alex Baena, who would play a little further forward than Kobbie Mainoo and are expected to score more goals.
“That’s another plus point for Mainoo that he can play in different midfield positions.”
Gallagher back in the Premier League
“There would be competition with Pablo Barrios, but the fact is that they will make a change again,” Brassell added.
“I would be very surprised if Conor Gallagher wasn’t back in the Premier League by the beginning of 2026/27 at the latest.
“We know that Simeone values him and his teammates value him. He cannot secure a permanent place.
“At some point he will say: ‘Look, I’m still in my 20s, I still want to play for England, I need to play somewhere regularly and I’ll never be able to do that at Atletico’.”
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Mainoo loan to Lyon or Benfica
Mainoo, who has been at United since joining the academy aged nine, has so far He was unable to agree to a new contract with the Red Devils.
Amorim’s side blocked a loan move for the youngster last summer, but such an option could look more attractive in the winter.
“With all of these clubs, I feel like Mainoo could be in the top 11 at any of these clubs. But I think the question is, how do you put him in a position where he can play all the time?”
“It’s not an easy answer when you think about one of these clubs that really suits him.
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“I’m wondering if maybe you’re a club that isn’t quite at that level and you’re thinking: let’s make an offer to United here, let’s loan him out for half a season and then if he plays every week and plays really well, we’ll sell him for what we want to sell him for and we’ll get maximum value.
“Everyone has to agree that he’s not at the top of his game at the moment. That’s largely not his fault, but he hasn’t played enough to be.”
“I think you’ll have a hard time selling it for, say, 60 or 70 million at the moment. It’s just not possible for that kind of money.
“I wonder if he will be loaned out to a club that couldn’t actually afford to buy him. Be it Lyon, Benfica or someone like that.
“This is a guy who will play every week, he will absolutely kill it.
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Like Real Madrid’s Endrick plan
“At least a little bit like the current plan is for Endrick to move to Lyon on loan for the second half of the season.
“He’s keen to go because he knows he can play every week before the World Cup. A loan move for Mainoo would be a really good idea.”
“If he plays 20 or 25 games in the second half of the season, he might still have a chance for the World Cup squad.
“Okay, it’s an outside chance, but it’s still a chance.
“Then once he has proven how great he is, United can sell him at a price more in line with his talent.”