MANCHESTER UNITED OPEN URGENT CONTRACT TALKS WITH KOBBIE MAINOO FOLLOWING CASEMIRO’S DEPARTURE NEWS
Manchester United confirm Casemiro will leave in 2026. Michael Carrick opens new contract talks to keep Kobbie Mainoo at the club.
Manchester United are ready to get back to contract talks with Kobbie Mainoo now that Casemiro’s exit is official.
Mainoo’s situation has been all over the place this season. Michael Carrick brought him back into the squad, and that loan move to Napoli? That’s off the table. Mainoo actually agreed to a new deal last year, but Ruben Amorim never signed it off. So now he’s got 18 months left on his current contract, plus an option for another year, but he’s still earning less than most of the first team.
Under Amorim, Mainoo’s future at Old Trafford looked shaky. The Portuguese manager only started him once this season, away at Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, before getting the sack. The press kept asking Amorim why Mainoo wasn’t playing, and things got so tense that Mainoo’s brother, Jordan Mainoo-Hames, showed up at Old Trafford in December with a shirt saying “Free Kobbie Mainoo”.
With Carrick in charge, things are changing. Last weekend, he played Mainoo on the left of a midfield three in United’s 2-0 win against Manchester City, alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes. Carrick’s always been a fan—he told Rio Ferdinand last September that United should “build around” Mainoo, calling him the kind of academy player the club needs. Carrick said Mainoo’s more of an attacker, not a holding midfielder, and that he just needs a bit of patience and a break.
Funny enough, against City, Carrick used Mainoo in a deeper role. Mainoo didn’t pick out any killer passes from his 32 completions, but he showed real grit, racking up 77 pressures as United pressed City all over the pitch.
Mainoo had been pushing for a move when Amorim cut his minutes, but now everything’s up in the air again—especially since Casemiro just announced he’s leaving United at the end of the season. Casemiro’s contract was set to end this summer, and even though the club could have triggered another year, he personally asked United to clear things up for the fans.
United have been gearing up for a big midfield shake-up, eyeing up to four new signings. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba are right at the top of their list.
By announcing his departure before the Arsenal game this weekend, Casemiro’s making it easier for both sides to plan for the future and cut down on all the rumours. LA Galaxy and other clubs in MLS, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil are all circling him.
With the World Cup coming up this summer, a bunch of MLS teams are hunting for European players on free transfers—guys who can boost the league’s profile, help the sport grow at the grassroots, and bring in more money. Casemiro fits that bill perfectly.
INSIDE SENNE LAMMENS’ BLUEPRINT FOR MAN UNITED’S MASSIVE 2026 SUMMER TRANSFER OVERHAUL
"We want to be stronger." Read Senne Lammens' honest assessment of Manchester United’s squad needs after the Sunderland draw.
Senne Lammens isn’t hiding from the truth; he knows Manchester United have to beef up their squad this summer if they want to handle both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland showed just how thin United are right now. Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko, and Manuel Ugarte all sat out with injuries, and you could feel their absence on the pitch.
It’s been a weird season for United. They played just 40 games, the fewest in over a century, because they were eliminated from Europe and both domestic cups so early. But now they’re back in the Champions League, and Lammens realises the team has to get deeper if they want to compete seriously.
“Yeah, definitely. This league’s tough, and next year’s schedule is going to be insane,” the goalkeeper said. “You want to have enough reliable players, people who can step up whenever they’re needed.”
Lammens made it clear that United must invest in new signings during the summer window. He’s not saying the squad lacks quality now, but he knows things will get tougher. “Honestly, I think we’ve got a lot of talent this year,” he said. “But next season’s going to ask a lot more from us, and you need to be ready for injuries and everything that can come with a busy year like today, when we missed a few regular starters. Being able to call on others to jump in really matters.”
He wants a strong, well-rounded group ready for the challenges ahead. “We’re already building towards that, but we want to be even stronger for next season.”
Some people wondered if United relaxed after they clinched their Champions League spot by beating Liverpool last weekend. Lammens brushed that idea off. He said head coach Michael Carrick was all over them, reminding everyone to finish the season on a high.
“I don’t think so, not for me at least,” Lammens said. “The manager made it clear that these last games are important. We want as many points as we can get and to finish as high as possible. How you end the season carries over. It’s your launchpad for next year. We want to keep the momentum going.”
He didn’t want to hear any excuses. “Honestly, if we’d played at Sunderland a few weeks ago before securing the Champions League, it still would’ve been tough. That wasn’t in our minds.”
Carrick echoed those thoughts after the match. He sounded almost annoyed when asked if the players were mentally on holiday already.
“I get almost offended by that,” he said. “The way the players prepared and battled out there, it’s clear they’re still focused. If we’d been off it, we’d have lost. Sunderland pushed us hard at times.”
He thinks the pride and responsibility of playing for Manchester United is all the motivation the team needs. “That’s what keeps us sharp, knowing we represent something big. That doesn’t guarantee we’ll always play brilliantly, but it’s enough to fight through tough days.”
MANCHESTER UNITED HOLD ADVANCED NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECORD-BREAKING £18M BETWAY SPONSORSHIP
Despite the upcoming front-of-shirt gambling ban, explore how Man United’s Betway deal targets training apparel at Carrington.
Manchester United are currently discussing a potential sponsorship deal with Betway, reportedly worth up to £18 million. This comes despite the Premier League having banned betting companies from featuring as main shirt sponsors starting from the 2026-27 season.
Back in 2023, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to remove gambling logos from the front of their shirts. From that point, no top-flight team will carry betting advertisements on their kits during matches. But this new deal would see Betway appear on United’s training gear, not their matchday shirts.
According to reports from the MEN, talks have progressed significantly. If an agreement were reached, the Betway logo would be quite visible on the training apparel worn by players at Carrington, United’s training ground. That means fans would regularly see the branding in video footage and photos taken during training sessions.
Previously, United’s training kits featured Tezos, a blockchain company, until that partnership ended in June 2025. Betway has its own history with English football; they’ve been shirt sponsors for West Ham United and maintain global gambling partnerships with several Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The financial terms on the table for this Betway deal would be substantially close to £18 million, putting it on a similar scale to Bayern Munich’s partnership with Allianz, which includes stadium naming rights. This is quite a significant figure for a single training kit sponsor.
This season, United have gone without a sponsor on their training gear. After the Tezos contract expired, the club chose not to rush into a new agreement. They wanted to carefully evaluate potential partners, both from a financial standpoint and in terms of brand alignment.
There were even conversations with the African division of the Six Rivers Foundation, a conservation project in which United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has invested. However, those discussions didn’t lead to a deal.
When majority owners Joel and Avram Glazer visited Carrington earlier this year, commercial revenue and sponsorship opportunities were among the key topics addressed. The club has also brought in marketing agency Two Circles, where ex-United sales manager Leo Thompson works, to help find a new sleeve sponsor, given that the current contract with DXC ends this summer.
Securing Champions League qualification for next season under Michael Carrick’s leadership has somewhat eased the process. United guaranteed their place in Europe’s top competition after a 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, which should make the club more attractive to potential commercial partners.
