Tottenham “well placed” to sign £40m Manchester United outcast

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Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as a surprise landing spot for Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. Thomas Frank’s side are known to be on the market for midfield reinforcement this month, amid links to several top names.

Spurs are known to be keen on Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba amongst others. Football Insider has now reported that Manchester United man Kobbie Mainoo may be added to this list, as Tottenham are one of the few clubs who could afford United’s asking fee.

Mainoo has a reported value of £40m, and could be available for transfer this month after falling out of the pecking order at Old Trafford. Though the sacking of manager Ruben Amorim could change Mainoo’s fortunes at United, the player’s future remains uncertain.

Football Insider adds that Tottenham would represent one the few realistic Premier League teams that could land Mainoo. While Aston Villa and Newcastle are reportedly the clubs most keen, the former are not in the financial position and the latter don’t have on obvious need for a central midfielder.

The player’s preference could be a club where he will play maximum minutes. Tottenham would fit the ball from both a financial and footballing standpoint.

As it stands, a loan move abroad seems the most likely option should Mainoo depart Old Trafford this month. Atletico Madrid and Napoli are also known to be keen, and United may prefer to send the player away from the Premier League rather than strengthen another top four competitor.

There is also a possibility that Mainoo remains at United until at least the summer. Any move for the player by Spurs or any other club would likely wait until then.

Tottenham are reeling from their eighth defeat of the season, after Antoine Semenyo’s stoppage time winner sealed a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday night.

Boss Thomas Frank has make clear to the club’s hierarchy of his desire to add a dynamic box-to-box midfielder this month. The club are currently 14th in the table and seven points out of the top four places.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.