Kobbie Mainoo is still yet to sign a new contract at Manchester United despite rumours over an extension for almost a year.
Manchester United saw teenager Kobbie Mainoo burst onto the scene at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag last season.
After making his full Premier League debut against Everton in November 2023, the young midfielder immediately became one of the club’s most important players.
His stock rose even higher when he scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City. It reached astronomical levels after he was one of England’s best players at Euro 2024.
Mainoo’s second season in the professional game hasn’t been as impressive, partly down to injuries and also due to learning to play under new boss Ruben Amorim.
However, there are no questions that the 19-year-old should be one of the club’s main players going forward into their new project under Amorim.
He is currently contracted at Old Trafford until June 2027 but an extension has been in the works for a while now in order to secure him on a longer deal and also reward the player for his improvements.
Mainoo’s true wage demands revealed
Mainoo’s contract extension seems to have been pushed back multiple times over the last year, which suggests that negotiations are taking longer than expected.
Recent reports have claimed that the teenager is looking for a contract at £180,000-per-week, which is something some United fans have criticised.
However, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has suggested that those rumours of Mainoo’s demands are “excessive” and he is instead negotiating at around £150,000-per-week.
“There were some stories doing the rounds that Mainoo is not happy with the financial package on offer to try and persuade him to sign a new deal at Manchester United,” Crook said on talkSPORT.
“I’m told some of the figures being banded around in terms of his demands, maybe are a little excessive – £180k a week was quoted.
“I think it’s nearer £150k a week, but again, this is a sign that Manchester United are trying to trim the wage bill. We know when Amad Diallo signed his new deal, it was only, and I say only in inverted commas, 100 grand a week, but that is obviously a lot less than United have historically paid.
“Mainoo is an academy product, someone who loves the football club. He wants to stay at Manchester United, but it’s just a case of coming to an agreement, read the terms, and obviously there is also this PSR issue that United may have to tackle this summer.”
Mainoo’s contract needs resolving by summer
It still seems likely that an agreement is found between Mainoo and the club, probably just above Amad’s contract at £100,000-a-week.
Mainoo deserves a contract that puts him in line with his importance to the side but there also needs to be a balance to ensure he can still get a renewal in three to four years that wouldn’t become unrealistic.
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The priority right now is for the midfielder to get back fit and find himself in the team, building the form which we saw from him last season.
His contract situation does need handling soon though, as we can all imagine the constant rumours spiralling around his name if it is not resolved by the summer.
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