Chido Obi in loan talks with Bundesliga side as United weigh Amazon documentary deal

Manchester United are navigating a busy summer off the pitch, with 18-year-old striker Chido Obi reportedly in talks over a loan move to FC Köln and the club said to be weighing a lucrative Amazon documentary deal worth up to £15 million.

Obi in talks with FC Köln

Obi has reportedly opened discussions over a temporary switch to the Bundesliga side for the upcoming season. United are said to believe the move would accelerate the teenager’s development by giving him consistent first-team football in Germany.

The young striker made eight first-team appearances for United during the 2024/25 campaign before being restricted to academy football this past season. He still made a significant impression at youth level, scoring 20 goals and contributing six assists across the U18 and U20 sides. Obi joined United from Arsenal in 2024.

Carrick’s side eye eight-figure documentary deal

Separately, former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson has claimed that United have agreed to allow Amazon Prime to document their 2026/27 season in full as part of the broadcaster’s ongoing ‘All or Nothing’ series, which has previously featured Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester City.

Borson told Football Insider that such a deal would likely be worth between £10 million and £15 million, describing it as a high-margin asset for the club. However, he cautioned that the upside comes with risk.

“It’s probably worth £10m-£15m, and obviously, it’s a pretty high-margin asset sale. There’s not a lot of cost there,” Borson said. “What you’re giving up is the access — allowing cameras in places where you haven’t let them be before, recording stuff and losing editorial control.”

“So look, if it’s a good season, then it’s great. If it’s a very bad season, with managerial issues and individual player issues, you enjoy the money, but you know that you’re going to take some impact from it on the other side. It’s worked fine for City, and it worked fine for Arsenal.”

Pre-season preparations under way

On the pitch, United are preparing to return to pre-season training on Thursday, 9 July under manager Michael Carrick. Nine first-team players remain involved in the World Cup and will miss the opening stages of preparation.

The club are embarking on a European tour this summer — a departure from recent years when they travelled to the United States — with fixtures scheduled against Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Leeds across Finland, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, and Poland.