Fabrizio Romano announces FINAL Kobbie Mainoo transfer decision

Tom Weber
Tom Weber
  • Updated: 20 Jan 2026 06:38 GMT
  • 4 min read
Kobbie Mainoo, Man Utd, 2025/26
© IMAGO

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will not move in the January transfer window, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

Article continues under the video

The 20-year-old found himself on the outside looking in under Ruben Amorim. Mainoo barely played under the Portuguese and already requested to leave the club on loan in the summer.

At the time, this plea was denied, and Man Utd were equally reluctant to give in to his new demand this month. Amid growing uncertainty over the position of Amorim, it was decided to keep Mainoo for the time being.

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

This proved to be a wise decision. By 5 January, Amorim had blabbered his way into unemployment by insisting that he was the "manager" and not merely "head coach" and by losing his temper in a meeting with Jason Wilcox.

With Michael Carrick now at the helm of Man Utd, Mainoo's fortunes appear to have completely turned around. The youngster played the full 90 minutes in the Manchester Derby at the weekend and put in a solid shift. He could now become the heartbeat of the Red Devils' midfield.

Mainoo won't leave Man Utd

Unsurprisingly, then, Fabrizio Romano reports that Mainoo will not leave the club this month. Napoli had been pushing for weeks to sign him, but that door has shut for good.

There have also been tentative links with Chelsea, but they always centred around a permanent move, which Mainoo was never really keen on to begin with. He only wanted to leave on loan to get regular minutes under his belt - and to potentially outlive Amorim.

Kobbie Mainoo
© IMAGO - Kobbie Mainoo

The topic of Mainoo's future has not yet been completely put to bed, however. There is still a contract that needs to be sorted for the 20-year-old in the coming months.

Mainoo's current terms expire in 2027, so it is a matter that needs to be dealt with with a degree of urgency. Should this situation remain unresolved by the summer, fresh speculation over his future at Old Trafford will be inevitable.

Football transfer news headlines today

DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today

TRANSFER RUMOURS: Chelsea willing to sell Enzo Fernandez as January deal close

Man City’s Marc Guehi signing is a January masterclass

Jeremy Jacquet: Chelsea’s new €65m signing has one problem no one is talking about

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

Google Play

App Store

Never miss the next big transfer!

Get the latest transfer insights and analyses directly in your mailbox.