Manchester United and Chelsea will both be looking to improve their playing squads this January.placeholder image
Manchester United and Chelsea will both be looking to improve their playing squads this January. | Getty Images
Manchester United and Chelsea could engage in a massive swap deal to steal the January transfer headlines
Manchester United and Chelsea both hold the historical weight of being two of the most successful English clubs of the Premier League era, and yet both of Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca will feel that there is room for improvement as we approach the mid-point in the 2025/26 season.
Chelsea look to be in a healthy position in fourth place but have been inconsistent despite this, with huge victories against Liverpool and Barcelona coupled with defeats at Leeds United and at home to Brighton. The Blues are five points behind Aston Villa and eight off leaders Arsenal, with any prospective title charge for the Club World Cup winners already appearing highly unlikely.
Chelsea linked with Man United’s Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo has been frequently linked with an exit from Man United in recent times, and such speculation is certain to rear its head once again when the winter window opens on January 1.
The 20-year-old remains firmly out of favour under Amorim and that appears certain not to change anytime soon, with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes his first-choice pair in midfield and 10-cap England international Mainoo not believed to be viewed as an ideal fit for the Portuguese’s system. He has played just 183 minutes in the Premier League this season and only started in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town in August.
Mainoo has been linked with Chelsea before and that interest has resurfaced according to Caught Offside, with the Blues ‘leading the race’ for his signature. There is believed to be rival European interest from the likes of Napoli and Bayern Munich. The Blues are known for their stockpiling of young players and frequent rotation across competitions, which could give Mainoo significantly more minutes than he is currently getting at Old Trafford.
United are thought to be reluctant to sell their academy graduate, the most high-profile former Carrington talent in their current crop of players, but may reluctantly sanction an exit if they can secure a Chelsea star the other way in a huge swap deal.
Mainoo and Andrey Santos swap deal could see both sides win
Man United have been linked with Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos as part of their search for a new midfielder in recent months and could return for the Brazilian in January to seal a major swap deal for Mainoo, where both Premier League giants would secure the services of a young star with bags of potential.
While this deal may appear counter-productive on face value with one midfielder traded for another, Santos is likely to be a far better fit for Amorim’s double pivot and offers more mobility than any of the options the Portuguese has at his disposal at present.
Most commonly playing as a box-to-box midfielder, the 21-year-old has also been known to play in defensive midfield and offers more solidity than Mainoo in that sense. He can also get forward to join attacks and hit double figures in Ligue 1 goals while on loan at Strasbourg last season. He has found league starts hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, but could make a case for a more regular starting role at United.
With both of Casemiro and Fernandes the wrong side of 30, it is important that the Red Devils begin to prepare for the future of their midfield. It does not appear likely that Mainoo will be that, and so they may need to reluctantly part ways with the starlet in order to secure the signature of a transfer target who could start at Old Trafford for years to come.
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