Man Utd Set Demands for Kobbie Mainoo January Exit—Report

Ruben Amorim seems unconvinced by one of England’s brightest prospects.

Kobbie Mainoo is growing increasingly unhappy at Old Trafford. / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United could allow Kobbie Mainoo to join Napoli on loan in January providing their is no purchase agreement in the deal, according to a report.

Mainoo has struggled for consistent game time since Ruben Amorim’s arrival and was eager to leave Old Trafford on loan over the summer in a bid to earn more minutes. Real Madrid are among the reported suitors, with Napoli apparently the midfielder’s preferred destination.

The Serie A champions have already rescued Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund from mediocrity in Manchester, the latter signing on loan from United over the summer, and Antonio Conte is seemingly keen to sign another one of the Red Devils’ fringe players.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli remain interested in signing Mainoo on loan this winter, with the club’s director of sport, Giovanni Manna, having kept close tabs on the United starlet “for some time”.

Mainoo hasn’t started in the Premier League this season. / Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

With Mainoo eager to make England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad but still struggling to earn regular starts at Old Trafford, the report reveals that “the deal could be successful” if Napoli accept an agreement that includes no buy option or obligation.

Mainoo is said to be “unhappy” and “pushing for a January exit”, with Napoli desperate to add another midfielder to their squad as they seek to defend their Serie A crown and compete in the Champions League.

The 20-year-old has only started one match for the Red Devils this season in the humiliating Carabao Cup second round defeat to Grimsby Town. In the Premier League, he’s played just five matches and a total of 113 minutes.

Amorim seems unconvinced by Mainoo in his two-man midfield, instead preferring Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte as Bruno Fernandes’s partner in the engine room. Perhaps a loan move in January could re-energise the precocious youngster.

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