Chelsea receive Kobbie Mainoo transfer confirmation

Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
  • Updated: 16 Jan 2026 19:16 GMT
  • 4 min read
Kobbie Mainoo, Chelsea
© IMAGO

Kobbie Mainoo is no longer interested in leaving Manchester United this month, despite rumoured interest from Chelsea.

Article continues under the video

The 20-year-old was a key player under former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, however he fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim and he is still yet to start a Premier League match this season.

Current ETV
Player image Kobbie Mainoo 
Kobbie Mainoo 

M, DM (C)

Man Utd logo

Man Utd

Kobbie Mainoo 
Kobbie Mainoo 

M, DM (C)

Man Utd

Man Utd

€61.4M

ETV Range

€55.3M - €67.6M

Mainoo has been restricted to just 380 minutes of action across all competitions so far this campaign and he is expected to be omitted from England’s squad for the upcoming World Cup as a result of his limited involvement over the past few months.

The Man Utd academy graduate was denied the chance to leave Old Trafford on loan last summer, despite significant interest from both Chelsea and Napoli, and he was expected to depart the club in January after failing to work his way into Amorim’s thinking.

However, the Portuguese tactician was sacked on 5 January and Mainoo has now decided that he will not push to leave Man Utd before Deadline Day on 2 February, as per CaughtOffside.

Chelsea had been tipped to pursue a deal for the English amid their bid to sign a new central midfielder, but he looks set to remain at Man Utd and he is expected to play a key role under interim boss Michael Carrick for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Kobbie Mainoo, Man Utd
© IMAGO - Kobbie Mainoo, Man Utd

Michael Carrick on Kobbie Mainoo

Carrick will take charge of his first game back at Man Utd versus Manchester City on Saturday afternoon and he has already confirmed that Mainoo will feature prominently in his plans at Old Trafford.

Speaking to fellow club legend Rio Ferdinand last year, Carrick was asked whether he would build Man Utd’s midfield around Mainoo if he was in charge.

“I think for a club to have a player that’s come through the academy and knows the club and feels it… I think Man Utd’s got to have an element of that. It always has done and always should have,” he admitted in response.

“To have a talent like Mainoo, which he’s shown already, you’ve got to have players like that [in the team], players that you can say, ‘They get it. They know it. Let’s help them and stick with them’. I think there’s definitely a place for him there, for sure.”

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