Manchester United have opened formal talks with AS Roma over Manu Koné, and the price is already the real issue. Reports have put Roma’s valuation anywhere from €50 million to €60 million, while United are also being linked with a move that would sit alongside two midfield arrivals already completed this summer. Kone is 25 and has 19 caps for France.
Roma’s price and United’s budget
Andy Mitten told teamtalk.com: “The mythical third midfielder, I can’t see it being a £100m player. I don’t know who it will be because it hasn’t yet been decided. It’s 50/50. There’s so much up in the air. At the moment, there are players they like, players they’re going to miss out on. Frustratingly, there’s players that really want to come to Manchester United, but can make more money elsewhere. It’s a sobering reality.”
Laurie Whitwell was even more direct on the same platform: “I even now have a slight feeling from speaking to people that maybe the price point Roma would want ... even that might be too rich for United’s blood.” That fits the shape of the deal. United have already signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer, so the next midfielder is not about panic. It is about whether the club wants to spend big on a third addition.
The race around Koné
The attraction is easy enough to see. Kone made 37 appearances in 2025/26, with 2 goals and 3 assists, and logged over 2,500 minutes. He is not being treated like a gamble, which is why the interest is wider than one club.
L’Equipe reported United are ahead of Arsenal in the race, but other reports have broadened the picture. Liverpool are also linked, while one report adds Chelsea, Como, Martin Baturina and Alejandro Garnacho into a wider market picture. Fabrizio Romano has also been mentioned in reporting around the deal, but the one point that keeps coming back is value. United like the player, Roma like the fee, and that gap is still the deal.
United are third in the Premier League, so this is not a club shopping from a weak position. It is a club trying to decide whether a premium midfield move still fits after the summer has already shifted their plans.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
