Manchester United are “getting closer” to agreeing a new contract with Kobbie Mainoo, Michael Carrick has said.
The 20-year-old’s current deal is set to expire in June 2027, with an option to extend for a further 12 months.
As revealed by The Athletic last month, negotiations with Mainoo over a contract which would extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2031 have reached an advanced stage.
The England international, who would earn a significantly improved salary upon signing new terms, was out of favour under Carrick’s predecessor Ruben Amorim and wanted to leave United on loan last summer in search of more playing opportunities.
Mainoo has become a regular again since Amorim’s dismissal earlier this year however, starting all of Carrick’s 10 games in charge.
When asked whether talks with Mainoo were progressing, Carrick said: “We’d like to think so and it’s getting closer, so we’re positive with that.
“We’re calm with it, but we’re positive with it and time will tell how it goes. But at the moment, we are in a good place.”
Should Mainoo extend his stay at Old Trafford, he would follow Harry Maguire in committing his future to United. The 33-year-old defender signed a new, one-year contract earlier this week.
United return to Premier League action against Leeds United on Monday night after a 24-day break and are in a strong position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Carrick’s side sit third , safe in the knowledge that finishing fifth will be enough to secure a return to European football’s elite club competition, and know that the added revenues that the Champions League brings will shape their summer transfer activity.
United intend to strengthen this summer, with midfield the priority, and a top-five finish could also have a bearing on the uncertain future of captain Bruno Fernandes.
“There’s obviously work that’s going into planning for the summer,” Carrick said. “There has to be. There’s no two ways around that but in terms of two plans, I’m not going to delve into the detail too much.
“I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone to understand if you finish certain places in the league financially, it makes a lot of difference if you don’t. I think that’s pretty obviously. But there’s certainly work going on in terms of what can be done in trying to move forward in improving the squad and making the best of what we’ve got.”
When asked if Champions League football might help keep Fernandes at Old Trafford, Carrick added: “I think Champions League just brings so many positive things. It’s where we want to be, it’s not getting away from that, and that has ramifications for so many different things over that.
“Players staying, if it is that, if its players coming in, it’s financially all sorts of different things. It’s what we want to be and we need to try and get used to being in there more often.”