Napoli Ready To Reignite Interest In Manchester United Star As Englishman Makes Decision Over January Departure

Napoli are reportedly keen on reigniting their interest in Manchester United star, Kobbie Mainoo, as the Englishman pushes for a move in January.

Will Kobbie Mainoo Leave Manchester United?

The English midfielder was tipped to become one of Manchester United’s leading players after making his first-team debut at just 17-years-old in January 2023.

Mainoo became a regular under Erik ten Hag and played a huge part in Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph in 2023/24, scoring the winner at Wembley in a man of the match performance against Manchester City in the final.

However, despite his impressive start as a Red Devils player, Mainoo has slowly been pushed out of the side under Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese coach preferring Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount.

The 20-year-old has not started in the Premier League this season and did not earn a single minute in United’s opening two league fixtures – causing Mainoo to request a loan move in the final days of the summer window.

Multiple clubs were interested in signing the England international, but with just days left of the window, United denied Mainoo’s request and Amorim urged the youngster to fight for his place in the side.

The Red Devils have endured a miserable start to the season, losing to Arsenal, Manchester City and Brentford, whilst being eliminated from the Carabao Cup by League Two side Grimsby.

Amorim’s position as Manchester United is coming under huge amounts of pressure, with many supporters questioning the Portuguese’s decision to stick with a system that has shown no signs of improvement.

Rumors have started to circulate over a possible departure for the Manchester United manager, with a move to Serie A possible for Amorim if his time in England comes to an end.

However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has backed the United manager and has no intentions of cutting ties just yet, but one man that could be on his way out and move to Serie A is Kobbie Mainoo.

Are Napoli Interested In Kobbie Mainoo?

During the summer transfer window Napoli showed heavy interest in the Manchester United midfielder and made multiple attempts to bring the Englishman to Italy.

The Scudetto holders faced competition from several teams around Europe, with Chelsea coming close to landing the young midfielder at the end of the summer window.

As Mainoo’s situation with the Red Devils has failed to improve, the possibility of a loan move has become increasingly more likely this in the January window.

According to reports, the Manchester United midfielder has already selected Napoli as his preferred location in January, as his former teammates Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund continue to settle in Italy.

The Serie A title holders have enjoyed negotiations with Manchester United in the past and can attract star players with Champions League football – as Napoli face Sporting Lisbon in their second UCL fixture.

It has not been confirmed whether the loan deal would come with an option to buy, but United will not be looking to sell Mainoo without receiving a hefty transfer fee.

Since Mainoo came through the ranks at Old Trafford, he would be treated as ‘pure profit’ which has become extremely valuable to clubs in regards to Financial Fair Play parameters.

Mainoo has two-years remaining on his current deal and any talks over an extension have hit a stand-still due to Amorim’s failure to include the Brit this season.