Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has challenged Kobbie Mainoo to show he is worth £200,000-a-week.
Mainoo, 19, is locked in a contract stand-off with his boyhood club - and Chelsea are ready to pounce if United decide they would rather cash in on the England tyro rather than meet his demands. The Stockport-born midfielder has become a key performer for both club and country - and his current £20,000-a-week salary fails to reflect his value.
But United are unwilling to give Mainoo a 1,000 percent pay hike with more than two years of his current contract left to run - and manager Amorim has suggested the teenager has to improve further.
Amorim said: "I think Kobbie Mainoo is improving a lot during the last matches. But I think you guys feel like he is the finished product - and he is not. He has so much potential to grow up even more.
“He is really really good but he can be so much better. I think he is improving, all the players are improving, all the players are important for me, no matter whether they worked with me in the past.”
United have concerns about meeting the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations to such an extent that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been ruthlessly slashing costs and has made more than 150 staff redundant. Selling homegrown talents like Mainoo and out-of-favour Marcus Rashford would give their PSR push a huge boost.
The Red Devils will listen to serious offers for any of their first-team squad in the January transfer window. Ratcliffe is ready to make radical changes with the squad having underperformed so far this term.
Amorim has already been told that he will have a limited transfer budget, with sales required to bolster resources after the club splashed £600million on players for Erik ten Hag. Stars such as Maino, previously deemed untouchable, are now available for the right price.
PSR rules have been a concern for United, who posted losses before tax of £312.9m over the past three seasons. A recent report showed the club have recorded a net spend greater than any other club in the world after splashing out €1.3bn (£1.08bn) since 2015.
Speaking in December, Ratcliffe told the United We Stand fanzine: "Manchester United has become mediocre. It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.”