Juventus want to make unhappy Man Utd star their 'Paul Pogba 2.0'

Tom Weber

• 25 Nov 2025 12:01 CST
• 3 min read

News

Juventus are the latest club to show an interest in wantaway Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, according to Italian media.

The 20-year-old's situation has not improved much in recent times. Once again just a substitute in Man Utd's embarrassing home loss to Everton on Monday, Mainoo remains frustrated with his role under Ruben Amorim.

The young midfielder wants to make Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup, but to do so, he needs to play. After having a loan exit blocked in the summer, Mainoo is expected to request an exit again in January.

At this point, it is still unclear if he will get his wish. Despite barely using him, Amorim wants to keep Mainoo, and he has publicly stated that he will not aid players in achieving their World Cup dreams if it is to the detriment of Man Utd.

Napoli have shown the most concrete interest in the youngster, but discussions with Man Utd have thus far proved fruitless, which is likely why they are now pivoting to breakout SC Freiburg star Johan Manzambi.

Juventus enter Mainoo race

Napoli have a recent history of turning Man Utd flops into success stories, but there is another Italian giant that has previous with frustrated Red Devils players: Juventus.

According to TuttoJuve, the Old Lady are the latest club to take a liking to Mainoo. There is a belief that he could develop into Juventus' next Paul Pogba, who famously left Man Utd to become a global superstar in Turin.

Pogba was 19 when he swapped Manchester for Northern Italy, and the report claims that Mainoo's situation is now similar to that of the 2018 World Cup winner.

Juventus would jump at the chance to bring in a player of Mainoo's quality, but the report appears overly optimistic about the club's chances of securing a deal. Contrary to reports in England, it is claimed that Man Utd are open to letting Mainoo leave in January.

Ultimately, only time will tell if Mainoo will be allowed to depart Man Utd, but something has to give. He is too good to just sit on the bench every week.

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