“Best midfielder in France”
Roma financial pressure – Why Manu Koné is perfect Man Utd final midfield signing
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After a slow start to the transfer window which brought faux outrage from online influencers, Manchester United ramped up their business by swiftly concluding deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Central midfield was unquestionably the priority position for United in the transfer window with Casemiro’s departure leaving them woefully short. Ideally, Manuel Ugarte would have been sold this summer but a serious injury sustained at the World Cup for Uruguay has scuppered those plans.
Market Value
Manu Koné
Central Midfield
€50.00m
Despite Ugarte’s injury, United’s intention remains to sign a third central midfielder to bolster their ranks ahead of their return to European competition. Santos, Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo are their only fit options to play the two deeper roles in Michael Carrick’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, while there’s been suggestions that Mason Mount could be deployed there. To complement the strengths of their current options, United need to sign a dynamic, defensive-minded midfielder, who can cover the ground and this article details why that should be Manu Koné.
Why Manchester United should move for Manu Koné
It’s abundantly clear that United lack a midfielder with excellent physicality, who can cover large spaces as those qualities are lacking in their current options. Aurélien Tchouaméni was United’s priority target for this role and there was significant speculation around the French international but he committed his future to Real Madrid by signing a new deal. United have a long-standing interest in Carlos Baleba and enquired over the Brighton midfielder’s availability last summer but walked away due to their demands of close to €100m. Baleba endured an overwhelming season with the Seagulls with Brighton’s asking price reducing and United could still revive a move for the 22-year-old as he fits the profile required, especially as they’ve been targeting Premier League proven players.
Koné, however, should be their priority target for several factors. Firstly, the French international possesses the exact skillset that United require in a physical and dynamic midfielder. The 25-year-old’s reputation soared during the World Cup as a wider football audience became aware of his talent but he was outstanding last season for Rome in Serie A as they secured Champions League football. Accolades don’t come much bigger than Patrick Vieira labelling him ‘the best midfielder in France’, as he did during the World Cup. Koné also presents an excellent market opportunity this summer due to Roma being under financial pressures to sell one of their prized assets this summer.
The capital club were already fined a total €6 million by UEFA in June for a breach of financial fair play rules – €2m for exceeding interim financial targets and €4m for exceeding UEFA’s €70% squad ratio. Roma’s financial struggles over the last years are well-documented and although they have improved under the ownership of the Friedkin Group, I Giallorossi have faced restrictions from UEFA since 2022. Therefore, selling Koné would relieve financial pressures and allow them to reinvest in a squad that is severely lacking in depth. Transfermarkt sources in Italy understand that an offer of around €50m, plus add-ons taking the deal to €60m, will bring Roma to the table for Koné, but they hope to spark a bidding war with Liverpool and Chelsea also keen on the player, who wants to move this summer. To get insight from Italy, we spoke to Transfermarkt’s Serie A expert, Stefano Buonfino.
Insight from Italy on Manu Koné
Buonfino said: "Roma will have to sell one of their top players, both to comply with Financial Fair Play, for which they’ve already been fined – and to fund the transfer market, as they have a small squad. So they’ll likely sell one top, the names are Mile Svilar, Evan Ndicka, Wesley, Kone, Matias Soulé or Donyell Malen.
"Koné is probably the one most requested and for whom they can earn the most, thanks in part to his appearances for a strong national team like France. I doubt they’ll ask less than 50 million; after that, they might even manage to drive the price up if two or more clubs begin to compete to sign him.
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