Manchester United may still sign a third midfielder despite having secured the signatures of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined £85 million, noted journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed.
The doctrine of responsible spending remains in place at Old Trafford and, rest assured, the third man to agree terms with the club will be another "budget purchase", Romano said. This makes Manu Koné of AS Roma a frontrunner to land an offer from the English club.
Romano, on his YouTube channel, confirmed that United have already got in touch with Koné's camp. The Red Devils will not spend around £76 million for the Frenchman as claimed by some sources, he said. The club will sign the 25-year-old only if he is made available at a cheaper rate.
The unwillingness to spend big means Carlos Baleba and Warren Zaïre-Emery are also unlikely to join the former Premier League champions.
“For Manu Koné, Manchester United had contacts with the player’s camp last week, as I told you.
“Those conversations continue, but United have to decide how much they can spend on a defensive midfielder before taking the next steps.”
“Manu Koné remains on Manchester United’s list, but there is still no bid to Roma and no club-to-club negotiations,” Romano said.
“And if you see reports of €85m or €90m, I’m told that’s not accurate. I’m hearing the price tag would be lower,” he added.
Koné moved to Roma from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2024. A box-to-box midfielder who can be much more than a conventional number six, Koné can drive forward with the ball, effectively breaking defensive lines. He can help the team build from the back and can successfully break down opposition attacks by pressing effectively.
