Manchester United have stalled efforts to sign midfielder Manu Kone with AS Roma desperate to complete the transfer before the end of the month.
Following the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Michael Carrick hopes to make a third midfield signing ahead of the new Premier League season.
United appear to be keeping their options open with interest still lingering in Aurelien Tchouameni and with Carlos Baleba’s representatives reaching out to the club this week.
Kone is another option after his impressive World Cup campaign with France. Reports in Italy have claimed United have already agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.
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Kone has been priced at €50million (£42m) during the summer transfer window with latest reports claiming Roma want €60m (£51m). United are still to make a formal bid.
The Serie A club are under pressure however to get a deal done as soon as possible. With talks moving ‘extremely slowly’, Corriere dello Sport report Roma are desperate for the transfer to be completed by 31 July.
Doing so would ensure Roma meet the parameters of the settlement agreement they have with UEFA.
It has been reported that Roma had to raise around €50m in funds by the end of June in order to comply with the settlement agreement they reached with UEFA back in September 2022.
It followed the club breaking financial fair play regulations during the 2021-22 season.
An original deadline of the end of June was extended by European football’s governing body last month with Kone’s future possibly set to have a major role to play.
United are in no immediate rush however. While Kone is admired by some within the club’s recruitment team, not everyone supports the move and the deal does not have ‘universal backing’ at Old Trafford, the Telegraph reports.
He has at least one huge admirer however in France and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira who hailed him the best midfielder in the Les Bleus squad at the World Cup.
‘He has come into the World Cup with a couple of injuries and it has been a quite difficult season for him,’ Vieira told ITV during their coverage of France vs Norway last month.
‘But he is for me, the best midfielder in France today. I would put him ahead of Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot because he has got this mobility to move around the pitch.
‘He is aggressive, he is a ball winner and he has got this technical ability to be part of the build-up. He can break lines and play forward.’