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СпутникиРНSpaceXРоскосмосNASAMan United are still aiming to strengthen their midfield ahead of the 2026/27 season.
As expected, Manchester United's summer transfer window is being dominated by their midfield overhaul.
Casemiro informed United that he wanted to make his summer departure public knowledge at the turn of the year. Once he did that, the Reds' search for his successor started.
Since then, the Reds have been consistently linked with a stream of players as they look to bolster their midfield. For many fans, the dream final signing after the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos would be Aurelien Tchouameni, but Real Madrid's reluctance to sell the France international has extinguished that hope. But all is not lost, especially considering there is a more affordable alternative to Tchouameni who has shared a dressing room with the Madrid star at the World Cup.
Manu Kone's World Cup kicked off with a watching brief as France beat Senegal 3-1, but after that he became a more prevalent figure in Didier Deschamps' plans, starting every game aside from the round-of-32 clash with Sweden and the semi-final against Spain, where he was called on at half-time but couldn't change his side's fortunes as they were beaten 2-0.
His performances, particularly in the quarter-finals against Morocco, brought him to the attention of many top clubs. The Manchester Evening News sat down with Football Italia editor Lorenzo Bettoni to get the lowdown on a midfielder who looks set to go right to the very top of the game.
"Look, it's a bit of a surprise, but maybe it's not really because of performances on the pitch," he said of Kone's major involvement in France's World Cup campaign. "I mean, when we talk about Tchouameni, we're talking about a player who's been at the very highest level of world football, playing in the Champions League, playing big games to win the title. So we tend to assume that he is the best option compared to somebody who has no appearances in the Champions League, or just very few, like Manu Kone.
"You would assume that Tchouameni is a better option. But then Didier Deschamps sees them close to each other, training together.
"The improvement from Kone has been steady this season, and it got to the end of the Serie A campaign and he was in very good shape. So, if we look at the stats of the two players, I would say surprising, but if you look at the performances, it is not."
In Italy, there is a commonly held opinion that the standard of Serie A is nowhere near that of the rest of Europe's top leagues. A third successive World Cup without the Azzurri only strengthens that belief.
"There are talents, but sometimes you tend to believe that the others playing abroad are better, but there are some examples of players who would compete with the very top and Kone is an example," Bettoni added. "It's funny, sometimes people realise later, how strong certain players are and Kone especially [is one of those]."
Were United to sign Kone, Bettoni believes he would be ready to slot into the starting line-up immediately. The 25-year-old is a versatile midfielder, but playmaking is not his speciality. Instead, his physical attributes and technique lend him more to a box-to-box midfield role. His stamina, tackling and work rate are all seen as being key to his impressive performances.
Were United to need more encouragement to make a move for Kone, the financial situation at AS Roma means they could get the midfielder at a cut-price fee.
Bettoni believes a fee of as little as £45m could be enough to sign Kone - £35m below Bournemouth's valuation of Alex Scott, a player who has been tipped to complete United's midfield jigsaw puzzle after the signings of Tielemans and Santos. But if United want him, they have been warned that they must act quickly.
"They (Roma) will be in the Champions League, obviously, which is a big financial boost, but from what I understand, it's not going to be enough to fill the gaps they need financially," he added. "So, even if Kone has a long-term contract, which he does, the club is reluctant to sell and the coach is reluctant to sell, United coming in with an offer, around 45, 50, 55 million, I think Roma would be forced to accept.
"Of course, the club has to decide internally, but the basics are that they have financial needs for which no player is really untouchable. It's also about timing. If somebody else comes in and they go for Matias Soule, who could go for £30m, or there is Mile Svilar as well. If somebody goes and picks Soule or Svilar up, then they would not be forced to listen to offers for Kone.
"Whereas now, with still no big sales in place, they have to listen to offers because they are in a financial position for which they have to recover something."