Chelsea are said to be leading the race to Banner Manchester United midfielder Kobe Maino if he does not extend his contract with Old Trafford.
The 19-year-old Maino signed a four-year contract in 2023, shortly before his Premier League debut, and is said to be the lowest-paid player in the first-team on a salary of £20,000-a-week.
Although unitedMaino's desire to tie him down with an extension and recognize the midfielder as a first-team regular Progress in negotiations on new terms has proven slow and there are now growing concerns about Maino's long-term future at United.
the Daily Mail state Chelsea They put themselves at the front of the queue for Maino's signature, seeing the teenager as a star in the making.
It has previously been claimed that Maino was part of a small group of players who were considered “outcasts” by United, although David Ornstein of… The athlete He recently argued that this was not the case due to the pure profit that could be made by selling an academy graduate like Maino.
“If (Marcus Rashford) were to leave, a sale in particular, that would probably be more likely in the summer, but it would represent pure profit, which is something we hear a lot about, because he was an academy graduate,” Ornstein said. “In the same way that Kobe Maino might be, his contract is up in 2027 – no news of a new deal.
“Alejandro Garnacho also, I don't think anyone in this category is off the table. Whoever is, someone like Lenny Euro, like Amad Diallo – I think they are untouchable.”
Crucially, while Maino's contract runs until 2027, United have the option to extend that for a further 12 months, leaving them with very little immediate pressure to make a decision on the England international's future.