Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has stressed his desire to keep hold of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo despite the surprise interest from Chelsea.
With speculation about stalling contract negotiations beginning to develop, Chelsea were named as a shock candidate for Mainoo earlier this week. The latest reports suggest that the Blues would be open to a January transfer, with United value the 19-year-old at around £70m.
United’s determination to avoid sanctions for breaching profit and sustainability rules has led them to decide no player is untouchable, while Maino’s status as an academy graduate, whose sale would generate a net profit, has fueled talk of a shock exit from Old Trafford.
As for Amor, he wants to keep Mainoo, whose contract runs until 2027 and includes a one-year extension clause.
Asked directly about Mainoo in his latest press conference, Amorim told reporters: “Yes, my players are always my favourites. So I really love my players, I want to keep my players, especially the talented ones.
“This is a special moment in this club, a difficult moment, I’m really happy with Kobbie, he’s progressing, and also with Garn [Alejandro Garnacho].
“The first thing I don’t think I remember saying clearly that I wanted new players. What I said was that sometimes the profile for this system is different and players come here with a different idea of how to play. I don’t remember saying so clearly i want new players.
“What I said is we have to improve our recruitment when we target players, we have to make sure they can handle the demands, sometimes you have to bet a bit. And what I also said is we have to improve our academy, bring in young kids who feel the club at the right way and with these rules we can do some work and have money to invest in the team.
“Our idea is always to keep the best players and the players we build for this club, but we know the position the club is in right now. We’ll see. But I’m very happy. I like the players a lot, especially the academy guys.”
most importantly, United they have no active desire to sell Mainoo and still want to end speculation with a new contract. The teenager currently earns around £20,000 a week, it was recently claimed United’s failure to meet his £200,000-a-week demands has left him frustrated.
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