Man Utd leave Kobbie Mainoo RAGING with January transfer decision

Manchester United are so far showing no inclination to let Kobbie Mainoo leave the club on loan in January, according to a report.

The 20-year-old remains unhappy with his playing time under Ruben Amorim, having attempted to force through a loan exit late in the summer window after realising that he would have to compete with captain Bruno Fernandes for minutes.

At the time, Man Utd flat-out refused to entertain a departure of their academy graduate, leaving him stuck on the bench at Old Trafford. Mainoo has yet to start a single Premier League fixture this term.

Unsurprisingly, then, he is still agitating for a move away in the hope that Man Utd will change their stance in January to allow him to keep his World Cup dream alive. Mainoo is fielding interest from several suitors, with Napoli among the clubs most persistently linked with him.

The reigning Serie A champions are planning to sign a midfielder in the next window because Frank Anguissa will be at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, potentially until mid-January.

Mainoo is Napoli’s ‘forbidden dream’

Unfortunately for Napoli and Mainoo, there is so far little to suggest that Man Utd will be more pliant in the winter. According to journalist Emanuele Cammaroto, the youngster is a ‘forbidden dream’ because the Red Devils have yet to agree to a loan exit.

“Mainoo remains a forbidden dream, but to date, Manchester United have not opened up about his departure,” he told NapoliMagazine. “We’ll see if they do and whether they would eventually accept a loan with an option to buy rather than an obligation.”

Cammaroto states that this is “a condition that Napoli would impose,” which could yet cause some issues, and not only with Man Utd. In the summer, Mainoo was adamant that he was only looking for a loan rather than a permanent exit.

Because of how difficult this operation is shaping up to be, Napoli director Giovanni Manna has begun “exploring several options” as potential alternatives to Mainoo. “The scenario is fluid and there are potential surprises,” the journalist notes.

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