Man Utd 'Offer' Kobbie Mainoo Plus £44 million in Crazy Swap Deal

Manchester United are rumoured to be prepared to offer midfielder Kobbie Mainoo plus more than £40m in a bid to land a Real Madrid star.

Mainoo has struggled for regular game time at United since Ruben Amorim took over in the dugout last November.

The 20-year-old came through the youth team ranks at Old Trafford and has scored seven goals in 76 appearances across all competitions so far.

He was part of the squad which won the 2024 FA Cup and also has 10 England caps under his belt.

But he has started just one game so far this season for United, which was the second round Carabao Cup defeat on penalties at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town.

Before the summer transfer window closed, it emerged that Mainoo had asked to leave United on loan for the season in a bid for more regular playing time, ahead of the World Cup next summer.

However, that request was denied and Amorim spoke earlier this month about the midfielder and that he feels he can improve.

He said: "I believe in him a lot. He is a top player. But some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done [a complete player]. I think he can do so much better.

"For some guys [talent] is enough, but for him it is not. Maybe it's not fair, but I think I'm helping Kobbie and that's it."

The United boss had previously said: "I want Kobbie to stay. He needs to fight for his place, and we need Kobbie. So that is not going to change."

Mainoo's current United contract expires in the summer of 2027, though the Old Trafford club do have an option to extend this by a further 12 months.

Kobbie Mainoo. (Image: Getty)

But reports have now emerged suggesting that United could be considering using Mainoo as a makeweight in a bid to land a Real Madrid star.

According to Spanish publication Defensa Central, United are ready to offer Mainoo plus £44m to the Spanish giants for Federico Valverde.

However, Real are said to view the Uruguayan star as key in their long-term plans and would not be willing to entertain any negotiations to try and sell him.

Valverde has scored 32 goals in 330 games in all competitions for Los Blancos, winning three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He was signed as a youngster from Penarol in his native Uruguay in July 2016 and his current Real contract expires in the summer of 2029.