WEST HAM have emerged as suitors for Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo over a potential six month loan move in January.
The England international expressed his interest in moving on loan at the end of the summer transfer window after struggling to find minutes under manager Ruben Amorim.
That move was spiked by the club, who were keen to keep him in the squad for the start of the season, but the issues surrounding the 20-year-old’s lack of playing time have not been resolved.
Mainoo has only made fleeting appearances in the league this campaign, with his only club start coming in United’s calamitous Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby in late August.
Now transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that West Ham are reportedly ready to offer Mainoo a ‘guaranteed starting spot’ to coax the youngster away from Old Trafford until the end of the season.
Romano said on his ‘Here We Go Podcast‘: “Kobbie would still be open for a loan move in the January transfer window.
“He would like to go and play on a straight loan, six months and then back to Man Utd.
“Now it depends on the club. It depends on if Man Utd will find another player in the middle.
“It depends on what Ruben Amorim wants to do, because the desire for him would be to keep the same squad in terms of players leaving in the January window.
“West Ham for example for sure are offering a guaranteed starting spot to Mainoo.”
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Despite Mainoo’s reported interest in a move away, SunSport understands that the club have no intention of allowing him to leave in the January window.
He and fellow United star Joshua Zirkzee have received loan interest from other European clubs, with West Ham also reportedly interested in the Dutch forward, as well as Italian giants Roma.
But with AFCON looming, the duo are expected to jump up the Red Devils’ pecking order over the festive period.
Forward Bryan Mbeumo, winger Amad and full back Noussair Mazraoui are all expected to report to their respective nations in December, leaving Amorim’s options thin, especially in forward areas.
The competition begins on December 21st, with the group stage ending on New Year’s Eve, and the final not happening until January 18th.
That extra demand has led United to make the decision to block Mainoo or Zirkzee leaving the club, as SunSport exclusively revealed last month.
The situation potentially provides both men a shot at securing the minutes they are looking for, with Mainoo likely eyeing a chance to play himself into England’s World Cup squad.
Amorim seemed to confirm that desire when asked about potential transfer movement in the January window.
He said: “Kobbie Mainoo, with the minutes he’s playing, needs more games for me to make a rotation. With one game it’s really hard.
“And you know that we have the World Cup, some players are not playing, they will ask to leave.
“So I have to manage everything. We want to bring players, everyone here, we want to bring players that we can see a big future in Manchester United.”
