Manchester United are confident they can reach an agreement with Kobbie Mainoo on a new contract that will keep him at the club for the long term.
Mainoo is under contract until 2027 but is in talks with United over a new deal that will see his current wages of £20,000 per week rise significantly to reflect his new-found value to the team. It is understood Mainoo's representatives are looking for £200,000-a-week under the terms of the new deal, which would put the 19-year-old midfielder among United's top five earners.
Casemiro is currently United's highest earner on £350,000 a week, followed by Marcus Rashford on £325,000, skipper Bruno Fernandes on £300,000 and Mason Mount, who earns £250,000.
United are believed to be confident of reaching a compromise with Mainoo over a pay rise, one that recognizes his emergence as a regular starter under new boss Ruben Amorim. Chelsea are monitoring Mainoo's ongoing contract situation and have emerged as the favorites to sign the England international should United fail to agree new terms with him.
United's need to comply with profit and sustainability rules – where fees for homegrown players count as pure profit on the balance sheet – has raised the prospect of Mainoo's departure. But Amorim wants Mainoo to stay and only an exorbitant offer – in the region of £70 million – could convince United to cash in on their academy graduate, who has been at the club since he was six.
Mainoo has made 52 appearances for United, scoring five goals and one assist, and has become a key player for the club over the past 18 months. A new contract was first discussed at the end of last season, but little progress has been made since then.
The latest update comes amid Sir Jim Ratcliffe's efforts to cut costs at United. The petrochemical billionaire has already laid off 250 people and sacked Sir Alex Ferguson as club ambassador and is now considering selling players.
Mirror Football reported on Tuesday that United are open to full-squad offers, partly due to concerns over PSR rules. The club has made a pre-tax loss of £312.9 million over the past three seasons and Ratcliffe believes sacrifices must be made to turn things around.
United have spent around £600 million on players for Erik ten Hag, but have told Amorim he will have to work with a much tighter budget. A recent report shows that United have racked up a staggering net spend of €1.3 billion since 2015, more than any other club in the world.
Ratcliffe told United We Stand last month: “We need to challenge the cost of running this club because what I want us to be able to do is buy really good footballers and not spend so much money on infrastructure. We cannot run a business at a loss, as United has done in recent years.”
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