Roma Confident Over Manu Kone Amid Premier League Interest
Roma started the summer braced for a battle over Manu Kone. The French midfielder’s name has been passed around every major recruitment meeting in England, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all linked at various stages of the window.
For weeks, the noise refused to die down.
The latest push came from England, with reports that Manchester City were weighing up a move. The Premier League champions have already lost Rodri and could yet see Nico Gonzalez depart, leaving a clear gap at the base of midfield and Kone firmly on their radar.
Yet the numbers were always going to bite.
Corriere dello Sport report that Roma are increasingly confident of keeping Kone at the Stadio Olimpico. Any club wanting to test that resolve has been told the same thing: €55 million. That is the price. Right now, it looks unlikely anyone will pay it.
Roma did briefly open the door in June. With Financial Fair Play limits looming, the club had to at least consider a major sale. Kone, after an impressive World Cup campaign, was one of the few players capable of bringing in a fee large enough to make a real difference.
Even then, the English interest never turned into anything concrete. No formal bids arrived from the Premier League.
The only club to actually step forward was Atletico Madrid. Their offer, though, fell short of Roma’s valuation and never came close to triggering serious negotiations over a sale. For a player emerging as a cornerstone of their midfield, the Giallorossi were not inclined to compromise.
Now the landscape has shifted again.
Roma’s optimism grows as Manchester City’s attention drifts towards bigger, flashier targets. The champions are now focusing on more expensive midfield options, including Enzo Fernandez and Ayoub Bouaddi, leaving Kone’s situation in Rome increasingly stable.
For the first time this summer, Roma can look at their midfield and believe that Manu Kone will still be wearing their colours when the window closes.
