Manchester United have made enquiries about Manu Koné, with the club’s midfield plans now looking like a two-track chase. Ederson from Atalanta remains the priority, but the latest reporting suggests United are already checking the alternative route if that move runs into trouble.

Ederson’s move is not fully settled

Felipe Silva, writing for football365.com, said the operation for Ederson is “stalled at this moment”. In the same reporting stream, TEAMtalk were said to be taking the opposite line, saying there were no issues and the deal was still on. That is the only honest place to start here, because United are clearly dealing with two versions of the same story.

Ben Jacobs offered the clearest read on Koné’s place in the picture. “Kone, they have made some enquiries,” he said. “I am not sure that there's that much more in it yet, but let's see whether they react again if the Ederson deal is off. I don't think that we can discount that one.”

The fee talk is sitting around £50 million. That is the level being used to frame Koné as a realistic option, not a random name thrown into the mix. It also tells you United are preparing for the possibility that the Ederson move needs a fallback rather than waiting for that answer to arrive too late.

Why Koné fits the fallback role

Koné’s appeal is not hard to see. He made 37 appearances across all competitions for AS Roma in 2025/26 and recorded two goals and three assists in that time. For a midfielder being discussed as a contingency, that is a solid workload and a useful return from open play involvement.

Roma’s recent form is five straight wins, so they are not being pushed into a sale by crisis. If Koné moves, it would be about value and squad management, not a club trying to offload a player at any price.

That is why United’s interest feels more like planning than panic. Ederson is still the first choice, but Koné now looks like the name they can move to quickly if the main deal becomes messy.

The next update probably comes through the Ederson side first, because that is the move United have been building around. If that one slips, Koné is already in view.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 9 outlets. How we work →