Roma Prepares for Manu Koné Exit as Manchester United Shows Interest

The World Cup has slipped into the background, but its aftershocks are still rumbling through the transfer market. In Rome, the tremor has a name: Manu Koné.

Roma are preparing for the possibility – and, increasingly, the likelihood – that the midfielder will attract offers too big to ignore, with Manchester United at the head of the queue. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the club have already started mapping out life after Koné, a sign of how real the threat of a sale has become.

Financial clock ticking in the capital

Gian Piero Gasperini has been blunt about the situation. Roma, he admitted, will probably have to sacrifice a key figure to balance the books. The deadline to do so has already been pushed back once and now sits at 31 July, a date that looms over every conversation in Trigoria.

Roma’s ideal solution would be different. The Giallorossi would prefer to cash in on Matias Soulé, but the market has not played along. Concrete offers have been scarce, and Soulé himself turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, closing off what might have been the quickest route to a sizeable fee.

That leaves Koné exposed.

Koné’s rising value and Premier League interest

Roma value Koné at €55–60 million. On paper, that number is about more than just his performances. On the club’s balance sheet he stands at €12 million, so a sale at their asking price would deliver a substantial capital gain – the kind of “plusvalenza” that can reshape a summer strategy in one stroke.

Manchester United have placed him on a shortlist that also includes Eduardo Camavinga and Alex Scott, a clear indication of the profile they are chasing for their midfield rebuild. Chelsea are in the mix as well, tracking the Frenchman while also holding assets that interest Roma.

The Premier League money is circling. Roma know it.

BlueCo connections and the replacement puzzle

Roma’s response is already taking shape. The club are studying several options, some of them under the BlueCo umbrella that controls Chelsea and a network of affiliated clubs. That shared ownership structure could smooth negotiations, and Roma are watching closely.

Frank Kessié and Khephren Thuram have emerged as prominent names on their radar. Both would bring power and presence in the middle of the pitch, and both are seen as potential answers to a double blow: the possible departure of Koné and Juventus’ late move to hijack Zeki Celik.

Celik himself could leave for around €40 million, another significant sum that would change the complexion of Roma’s market. His situation only adds to the sense of a squad in flux, with key pieces potentially moving in and out in quick succession.

Scouting Europe and Brazil

Roma’s search does not stop with the BlueCo pool. The club have also shortlisted Arne Engels of Celtic, whose price tag is believed to sit between €20–25 million. At that level, Engels represents a more affordable, developmental investment, a player who could grow into a major role rather than arriving as an instant star.

Then there is Danilo Santos of Botafogo, a midfielder who has already tasted the World Cup stage with Brazil. His valuation, around €30–35 million, places him in the middle ground: expensive, but not out of reach if Koné or Celik were to depart for the figures Roma are demanding.

Each name on the list reflects a different strategic path – proven physicality with Kessié, all-round dynamism with Thuram, technical upside with Engels, international pedigree with Danilo.

The choice will say a lot about how Roma see their future midfield.

A defining decision

For now, everything hinges on that ticking date: 31 July. Koné stands at the centre of it all, a player whose sale could unlock Roma’s market but also rip out a core element of Gasperini’s team.

Manchester United and Chelsea are watching. So are the agents, the intermediaries, the clubs holding Roma’s potential replacements.

The question is no longer whether the offers will arrive. It is whether Roma, under financial pressure and with a squad to rebuild, can afford to say no.