West Ham are reportedly awaiting a decision from Ruben Amorim after making a formal offer for Manchester United sensation Kobbie Mainoo.
The Hammers have stepped up their interest in Kobbie Mainoo as Ruben Amorim weighs up whether to let the talented midfielder leave Man United in the January transfer window.
West Ham’s January transfer plans were leaked to a top journalist recently, with the club said to be ready to back Nuno Espirito Santo with at least three signings.
Nuno wants West Ham to sign a defender, a midfielder, and a striker as a bare minimum.
The Portuguese has his sights set on a couple of players who are not in Amorim’s immediate plans at Manchester United.
West Ham make formal offer for Man United ace Mainoo
Striker Joshua Zirkzee has been heavily linked with the Hammers having fallen down the Old Trafford pecking order.
But England starlet Mainoo has also been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Jesse Lingard by joining West Ham in the January window.
Transfer market specialist Ben Jacobs recently revealed Nuno wants West Ham to sign Man United’s Mainoo as he eyes a midfielder with ‘real speed across the ground’.
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Nuno specifically wants ‘a (number) six or an eight who can go box-to-box’.
Mainoo certainly fits that bill and is thought to be pushing for a loan move to get game time ahead of the World Cup at the end of the season.
Kobbie Mainoo during Manchester United v Sunderland - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo’s Manchester United struggles have raised eyebrows and sparked interest from West Ham since Nuno’s arrival.
With only 138 minutes of Premier League football to his name this season, the Hammers are keen to explore the opportunity of signing the 20-year-old.
Mainoo is undoubtedly a top talent with mesmerising footwork, a superb range of passing and great vision.
But he has struggled with the physical side of the game, dropping out of Amorim’s immediate plans as a result.
Now West Ham’s hopes hinge on what the Man United boss, who was interviewed by David Sullivan last year with a view to replacing David Moyes, wants to do next with Mainoo.
West Ham await Amorim answer on Mainoo
West Ham now await Amorim’s answer after making a formal offer for Man United ace Mainoo.
Midfield has been West Ham’s single biggest issue for over two years now.
The Hammers were always going to struggle to replace a generational £105m talent like Declan Rice.
But they failed miserably to identify young, energetic, dynamic players who could at least bring similar attributes to the heart of the team.
The signings of Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa were a step in the right direction.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim speaks to Kobbie Mainoo on the sidelin
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
But it has taken too long to find a solution that works, and West Ham are now in a battle to stay in the Premier League.
The emergence of Freddie Potts, man of the match in the brilliant 3-1 win over Newcastle, is another boost for Nuno.
But he seems determined to add Mainoo to his options in January.
That’s according to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano who claims the Hammers have offered Mainoo a guaranteed starting spot if he moves to the London Stadium.
Now Romano says it is over to Amorim to decide what he wants to do next in terms of Mainoo’s future and development.
Romano says Mainoo to West Ham is ‘one to watch’
Romano shared what West Ham are offering Mainoo if he joins when speaking on his latest Here We Go podcast.
“(It) depends on what Ruben Amorim wants to do because the desire for Amorim would be to keep the same squad in terms of players leaving in the January transfer window,” Romano said.
“So let’s see what’s going to happen there.
“There is interest from England, West Ham for example, for sure (are) offering a guaranteed starting spot to Kobbie Mainoo.
“There is interest from Italy. Also Napoli are looking for a midfielder after the injury of Kevin De Bruyne and Kobbie Mainoo has always been on the short list.
“So for sure Kobbie is going to be one to watch depending on what Man United want to do.”
The Hammers will hope Mainoo takes note of how well a January loan move to West Ham worked out for Lingard.
He went from complete obscurity at Old Trafford to the main man at West Ham and came within a whisker of making the plane to the Euros that summer.