Man Utd: Amorim informs INEOS of ‘elite’ January signing demand as Romano reveals Mainoo update

According to reports, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has informed INEOS what he thinks ‘must’ be done in this January transfer window.

The Red Devils had a successful summer transfer window as they invested around £230m on several notable signings, landing Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens.

Man Utd were able to make these signings as they raised funds by offloading unwanted talents, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Antony and Jadon Sancho among those to leave.

This business has improved Ruben Amorim‘s squad as they look like a stronger outfit than they were last season, but they still need upgrades in various positions.

It has been heavily reported in recent months that their priority is to sign a new defensive midfielder after missing out on Brighton star Carlos Baleba in the summer.

It has been suggested that Baleba remains a target, though Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson have also been mentioned as other options.

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Now, an account on X with over 680k followers and a ‘team of five elite reporters’ has claimed that Amorim is intent on signing a midfielder in January.

It is claimed that he has ‘told the owners that an elite midfielder is a must in January’.

This has emerged while it’s been reported that Kobbie Mainoo could leave Man Utd in January, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that Premier League rivals West Ham are “offering him a guaranteed starting spot”.

“(It) depends on what Ruben Amorim wants to do because the desire for Amorim would be to keep the same squad in terms of players leaving in the January transfer window,” Romano said on the Here We Go podcast.

“So let’s see what’s going to happen there. There is interest from England, West Ham, for example, for sure (are) offering a guaranteed starting spot to Kobbie Mainoo.”

He added: “There is interest from Italy.

“Also, Napoli are looking for a midfielder after the injury of Kevin De Bruyne, and Kobbie Mainoo has always been on the short list.

“So for sure, Kobbie is going to be one to watch depending on what Man United want to do.”

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Former Man Utd coach Benni McCarthy, meanwhile, has explained why he thinks Baleba would be an ideal midfield signing for the Premier League giants.

“I think Carlos Baleba from Brighton. I think United needs more muscle. They need legs. They need power. And Baleba would be perfect,” McCarthy said.

“Alongside Kobbie, Casemiro, he’d be ideal with either of them. With Mainoo, both of them are so young, the future could not get any brighter. That would be my ideal.

“They need explosiveness. They need a beast in that midfield because Casimiro is now past his best. He’s aging, so the club needs to start thinking about life after Casimiro, when he eventually leaves Man United, and then he leaves the team in capable hands.”