Manchester United are getting closer to agreeing a new contract with Kobbie Mainoo, with talks over a deal that would keep the 20-year-old at Old Trafford until 2031 now at an advanced stage.
Mainoo would be rewarded with a significantly improved salary if he signs the new terms, a sharp change in position for a player who was out of favour under Ruben Amorim and wanted to leave United on loan last summer in search of more playing opportunities.
The timing matters because Mainoo has started all 10 of Michael Carrick’s games in charge since Amorim’s dismissal earlier this year, turning a period of uncertainty into one of renewed trust. United also signed Harry Maguire to a new one-year contract earlier this week, another sign that the club is moving to settle key pieces of its squad before the next phase of planning.
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Mainoo’s current deal runs to June 2027 and includes an option for a further 12 months, but the new agreement being discussed would stretch his stay by several more seasons. The Athletic reported last month that negotiations had already reached an advanced stage, and United’s broader summer thinking has been shaped by the same backdrop of contract work and squad planning.
Carrick has made clear that the club is looking ahead. “There’s obviously work that’s going into planning for the summer,” he said, adding that “there has to be.” He also said, “We’d like to think so and it’s getting closer, so we’re positive with that,” before stressing, “We’re calm with it, but we’re positive with it and time will tell how it goes. But at the moment, we are in a good place.”
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The financial picture may decide how far United can go. Carrick said, “I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone to understand if you finish certain places in the league financially, it makes a lot of difference if you don’t,” and added that Champions League football “just brings so many positive things.” United were in a strong position to qualify for next season’s competition, and Carrick said, “It’s where we want to be, it’s not getting away from that, and that has ramifications for so many different things over that.”
That matters because United intend to strengthen in midfield this summer, and the size of the club’s revenue next season could shape how ambitious those moves are. For Mainoo, the picture is simpler: after asking to leave on loan less than a year ago, he is now close to committing his future to the club that once had him on the edge and now appears ready to build around him.
