Manchester United’s midfield rebuild just took another sharp turn. The club has apparently shifted its focus to AS Roma’s Manu Kone after abandoning the Ederson deal. According to Saturday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, United has already reached out to the French international’s representatives and is preparing a formal offer.
Roma isn’t planning to let Kone go cheap. The Italian side won’t entertain anything below €50 million, per the report. That’s roughly £42.7 million. United is prepared to hit that number, according to Sport Mediaset.
Why United moved on from Ederson
The Ederson situation explains a lot of this sudden shift. Multiple reports out of Italy say United had a deal with Atalanta before the World Cup. Everything looked wrapped up. Then Ederson failed his second medical after returning from the tournament. The issue is apparently related to his right meniscus. He picked up that knee injury last year during a friendly against Cologne.
That’s a red flag United decided not to ignore. So they moved on, fast.
Kone’s World Cup bump
Kone has been one of the quiet success stories of this World Cup. The 25-year-old has filled in for Aurelien Tchouameni with Les Bleus and looked comfortable doing it. Four appearances so far. He’s been a strong presence in midfield, using that 6’1″ frame to shield the ball and push play forward. The Colombes native has good control and doesn’t get knocked off the ball easily.
France has Spain in the semifinals next. That’s a big stage for any player trying to make a move. And Kone is clearly making an impression.
United had other targets earlier in the summer. Andrey Santos wasn’t even on their priority list a few weeks ago. Now he’s signed from Chelsea. That happened fast. The midfield room at Carrington is going to look different when preseason starts.
Roma doesn’t want to lose Kone. But €50 million is real money. And United has shown this summer they’re willing to act quickly when a deal makes sense. The question is whether Roma will actually take it.
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