Manchester United’s summer midfield makeover has two pieces locked in but that third one is getting tricky. Andrey Santos looked sharp in his debut against Wrexham. Yourie Tielemans had himself a World Cup with Belgium. But the next name on the list is proving harder to land than expected.
The plan was supposed to be simple: add another Premier League proven midfielder to the mix. But Brighton’s asking price for Carlos Baleba has given the Red Devils pause. And Bournemouth aren’t budging on Alex Scott. So with the checkbook feeling a little tight INEOS has started looking outside England for a cheaper option. That’s where Manu Kone comes in.
Kone has been on United’s radar for a while now. He’s 25, plays for AS Roma, and just helped France finish fourth at the World Cup. That run in the tournament has bumped his price up though. Roma is reportedly hoping to get close to £50 million for him. So far United haven’t submitted a formal offer. And that hesitation might cost them.
According to Football Insider Liverpool is ready to jump into the race. The report claims the Reds have had scouts tracking Kone throughout the World Cup and are prepared to go toe to toe with their historic rivals for his signature. Andoni Iraola’s side apparently had eyes on him too.
The situation feels familiar for United fans. Not long ago Tottenham swooped in at the last second and stole Mateus Fernandes out from under them. Another hijack would sting. Especially with a rival like Liverpool doing the stealing.
Roma isn’t desperate to sell but they’re open to it if the price is right. That £50 million figure is the baseline. United could speed things up if they start moving players out the door. Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and a handful of academy kids have all been mentioned as potential departures. But that’s a lot of moving parts for a club that has struggled with outbound business in recent windows.
There are cheaper alternatives out there too. Nicolas Raskin and Sander Berge are both on United’s list and would cost significantly less than Kone. But neither comes with the same upside or the same World Cup buzz.
Michael Carrick has been pushing for more quality in the middle of the park. How INEOS finishes this rebuild will say a lot about where the club is headed. Right now they’re in a staring contest with Liverpool over a French midfielder and the longer they wait the more likely it is someone else walks away with him.
Feature image Paolo Bruno via Getty Images
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