Sources: Man United's new Kobbie Mainoo transfer plan revealed after he asks to leave
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Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Sat 30 August 2025 9:00, UK
Kobbie Mainoo won’t be allowed to leave Manchester United this summer unless a replacement is brought in beforehand, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have said about Mainoo’s increasingly uncertain Red Devils future.
Mainoo has told Man United that he wants to leave the club on loan this summer, after failing to feature in either of their opening Premier League fixtures and becoming a casualty of Ruben Amorim‘s system.
Amorim’s admission that Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a place in the side has unsettled the 20-year-old, as Football Insider revealed that this is the key factor “pushing him out” of Old Trafford.
With Mainoo‘s eyes on the exit door, sources have told Football Insider that while the England midfielder has no shortage of suitors, Man United will look to bring in a replacement to take the youngster’s place.
Football Insider sources have said that Man United would prefer to keep Mainoo in the fold rather than loan him to a club like Napoli, and believe he still has a “big role to play” in the club’s long-term future.
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Jim Ratcliffe has already taken steps to block Mainoo’s exit from Old Trafford this summer given how unpopular such a move would be, particularly after Scott McTominay‘s success since moving to Napoli.
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Speaking on the new Inside Track podcast, O’Rourke argued that even if Man United do relent on their position and accept a loan deal for Mainoo, they won’t do so without bringing in reinforcements first.
“There’ll be no shortage of takers for Kobbie Mainoo if he does become available and Manchester United are open to it”, he told Football Insider.
“Right now, I can’t imagine United will be willing to weaken their squad any further without bringing in any replacements – it’ll be a hard deal to do.
“Man United prefer to keep Mainoo around because he’s proven that he can be a big player for them, and he still has a big role to play for the club in the future.”
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Man United’s summer transfer business has been far from plain-sailing, and Amorim had ostracised five players from first-team training before pre-season had even begun in an attempt to move them on.
Marcus Rashford‘s loan to Barcelona and Alejandro Garnacho’s imminent switch to Chelsea leave Mainoo as one of few academy graduates in the current setup, something which hasn’t gone unnoticed to fans.
Amorim’s disastrous opening to the new season leaves him with very little credit in the bank, and if the Man United boss finds himself in a standoff with Mainoo over his future, there’s little doubt at who the fanbase will side with.