Ineos pushing to extend contract of star player, want him to be ‘one of the faces’ of Man Utd project

Manchester United are keen on tying down Kobbie Mainoo to a new contract, as they start putting pieces in place for their project.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his trusted football advisors have taken little time to settle in at Old Trafford, having already made major moves to rejuvenate United’s recruitment team.

John Murtough, who oversaw transfer activity at the club in recent years, is to step down from his position as football director. At the same time, Ineos are looking to bring in Dan Ashworth as well as Jason Wilcox to shape the Red Devils’ squad moving forward.

Man Utd in talks to offer Kobbie Mainoo a new contract

Apart from behind-the-scenes appointments, Ineos have also started addressing contract situations of United players.

According to Fabrizio Romano, United are now ‘pushing in talks’ to extend Mainoo’s contract by this summer. The two parties held initial discussions in February.

The 18-year-old academy product has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, impressing clubs across Europe with his composure and technical ability in the middle of the park.

Ineos rate the midfielder, who recently made his senior England debut, very highly and want to make him one of the faces of their project. They intend to increase his salary, offering several add-ons in the process.

The approach of building the side around the homegrown player is certainly going to be welcomed by United fans.

In that regard, the club have made another positive move, handing wonderkid Shea Lacy his first professional contract earlier this week.