Manchester United in talks to loan teenage striker Chido Obi to Feyenoord

Manchester United are in talks with Feyenoord over a loan deal for 18-year-old striker Chido Obi before the transfer window closes, according to Dutch publication De Telegraaf.

Obi joined United from Arsenal in 2024, arriving at Old Trafford as one of English football’s most highly rated young forwards on the back of prolific scoring in the youth ranks. He made seven senior appearances during the 2024/25 season, but manager Ruben Amorim later acknowledged that the teenager had been thrust into first-team football earlier than ideal due to injury problems in the squad. Obi was named in a Premier League matchday squad on just two occasions last season and has not always been a regular starter for United’s under-21 side.

De Telegraaf describes the potential move as a surprising one. Feyenoord, who are preparing for their first campaign under new head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst, already have 19-year-old Shaqueel van Persie — son of former United forward Robin van Persie — in their squad behind established strikers Ayase Ueda and Ignacio Ferri. Van Bronckhorst replaced Robin van Persie in the dugout this summer, despite the elder Van Persie having guided Feyenoord into this season’s Champions League.

United had also attracted interest from German club FC Köln for Obi earlier in the window, the Manchester Evening News previously reported.

Amorim defended his use of academy players in December, specifically namechecking Obi when responding to suggestions he was reluctant to give youth prospects opportunities. “Chido is not always a starter in under-21s,” Amorim said. “All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager.”

Former United midfielder Mason Mount offered an encouraging assessment of Obi following a pre-season friendly against Hong Kong. “Chido is a very good player,” Mount said. “You can see in training what he’s about, his good movement as a player. He’s a threat with a ball in the air — he’s got good movement in the box.”

A loan move to Feyenoord would give Obi consistent senior minutes in the Eredivisie, one of Europe’s more attack-minded leagues, as he looks to build on a debut season in which his appearances were largely shaped by circumstance rather than form.