Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has stressed his desire to retain midfielder Kobbie Mainoo amid an upset interest from Chelsea.
As speculation grew about stalled contract negotiations, Chelsea were named as surprise candidates for Mainoo earlier this week. The latest reports suggest the Blues would be open to a January transfer, with United putting the 19-year-old’s value at around £70million.
United’s determination to avoid sanctions over breaches of winning and sustainability rules has led them to decide that no player is untouchable, while Mainoo’s status as an academy graduate whose sale would bring pure profit has sparked rumors of a surprise move departure from Old Trafford.
As for Amorim, he wants to keep Mainoo, whose contract runs until 2027 and includes a one-year extension clause.
Asked directly about Mainoo at his latest press conference, Amorim told reporters: “Yes, my players are always my favorites. That’s why I really love my players, I want to keep my players, especially the talented ones.”
“It’s a special moment in this club, it’s a tough moment, I’m really happy with Kobbie, he’s making progress, and also with Garna.” [Alejandro Garnacho].
“The first thing I think is that I don’t remember saying clearly that I want new players. What I said is that sometimes the profile for this system is different and players came here with a different idea of how to play. I don’t remember saying that so clearly that I want new players.
“What I said is that we need to improve recruitment when targeting players. We have to make sure they are up to the task. Sometimes you have to bet a little. And what I also said is that we need to improve our academy, to attract young kids who know the club properly and with these rules we are able to do business and have money that we can invest in the team.
“Our aim is always to keep the best players and the players we are building for this club, but we know the situation the club is in at the moment. We’ll see. But I am very satisfied. I especially like the players, the boys from the academy.”
Crucially, United have no active interest in selling Mainoo and remain keen to end speculation with a new contract. The teenager currently earns around £20,000 a week and it was recently claimed that United’s failure to meet his £200,000 a week demands had left him frustrated.