Chelsea 'leading race' to sign Kobbie Mainoo from Man Utd | OneFootball

Chelsea are reported to be leading the race to sign Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo if he does not extend his contract at Old Trafford.

19-year-old Mainoo inked a four-year contract in 2023, shortly before he made his Premier League debut, and is claimed to be the lowest-paid player in the senior squad with a salary of £20,000 per week.

Despite United's desire to tie him down to an extension and recognise the midfielder as a key first-team player, progress in negotiations over fresh terms has proven slow and there are now growing concerns about Mainoo's long-term future at United.

The Daily Mail state Chelsea have positioned themselves at the front of the queue for Mainoo's signature, seeing the teenager as a star in the making.

Mainoo has had a monumental 12 months / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

It was previously claimed that Mainoo was part of a small group of players who United viewed as 'untouchable', although David Ornstein of The Athletic recently argued that was not the case because of the pure profit that could be raised by selling an academy graduate like Mainoo.

"If a departure is going to happen [for Marcus Rashford], a sale in particular, maybe it's more likely in the summer, but it would represent pure profit, something we hear about so much, because he was an academy graduate," Ornstein said. "In the same way that Kobbie Mainoo might be, he's out of contract in 2027 – no news on a new deal.

"Alejandro Garnacho too, I don't think anybody in that bracket is off the table. Who is, is somebody like Leny Yoro, like Amad Diallo – I think they are untouchable."

Crucially, while Mainoo's contract runs until 2027, United do have the option to extend that by a further 12 months, leaving them with very little immediate pressure to make a decision on the England international's future.