£50m Man Utd January agreement for top tackler could open the door for Kobbie Mainoo exit in January - report
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has requested a loan in January in order to get more regular game time.
Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has been a curious case this season. Since Ruben Amorim came in, his game time has significantly decreased, and it has been a detriment to his place in the England squad.
The midfielder was a star player for England during Euro 2024, but he’s yet to get into Thomas Tuchel’s squad because of his lack of game time, and so he requested a loan move away. Man United have said they don’t want to let the 20-year-old leave in January, despite his request, creating somewhat of a stalemate.
Napoli are reportedly interested in signing the midfielder, and he wants to leave. But the Red Devils don’t want to see a repeat of the Scott McTominay failure, so they are keen to keep hold of Mainoo. However, there is a way in which he could see an exit in January.
Mainoo could leave if Man United signs Gomes
Man United are looking to add more quality in the defensive midfield position, and have identified several targets, including Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. However, both are expected to cost upwards of £100m, so they are looking at different targets.
Wolves’ Joao Gomes seems the most likely signing in January, and it is understood that he’s expected to cost around £50m. According to Football Insider, if Man United sign Gomes in January, they could then sanction an exit for Mainoo, as they will have a worthy replacement for him.
However, Man United will remain reluctant to allow any exits in January, as they will lose Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui for AFCON in December and January.
Would Gomes be a good signing for Man United?
Wolves have been poor this season; it’s not been good for the Midlands-based club, but Gomes has been somewhat of a bright spark. The Brazilian midfielder is still young at 24, and he already has extensive Premier League experience. Other reports have said that it would take an offer of at least £44m for Gomes, which is a solid value for a quality PL midfielder.
He has made 16 appearances for Wolves this season in all competitions. He is a versatile midfielder who specialises in a defensive role, which is exactly what Man United have been crying out for.
Out of every Wolves player this season, he has averaged the second-most tackles per match (2.6 per game), with the only player beating him being centre-back Santiago Bueno at 2.9 per game.
The most interesting thing here is that Gomes’ 2.6 tackles per game is more than any Man United player has managed to average, with Casemiro currently their best tackler at 2.1 per game. The stats show that he would be a great addition to help protect Amorim’s back three and help to control the midfield alongside the playmaking abilities of Bruno Fernandes.