Well, our joy from this morning’s news of a sensational Leon Bailey-Jadon Sancho double swoop was short-lived, wasn’t it? Not long after we published that story, news broke of another sensational (and potentially crushing) transaction: Roma is reportedly considering selling midfielder Manu Koné to their bitter rivals, Inter Milan.
Take whichever Italian transfer pundit you like—Di Marzio, Schira, Mangiante, Romano—they’re all reporting the same thing: Roma are considering a €40 million plus bonuses offer for the French midfielder.
Koné, 24, only arrived in Rome last summer on an €18 million move from Borussia Mönchengladbach but immediately found a home in the middle of Roma’s midfield, logging 3,430 incredibly impressive minutes in all competitions, scoring two goals and adding three assists.
Considering his performance during a challenging season in the capital, not to mention his importance to Gian Piero Gasperini’s midfield this season, to call this a surprising development would be an insult to the word. But let’s try to follow the logic anyway. Inter Milan, who have spent all summer chasing Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, only to be put off by his €50 million price tag, are supposedly ready to shift gears entirely and invest that sum (or at least the portion they were willing to spend) on a midfielder.
For their part, Roma presumably need to raise additional funds to fuel the Bailey-Sancho double swoop—and perhaps push the deal for Lega Warsaw’s Jan Ziolkowski over the line—and are willing to sacrifice Koné (while sapping the midfield of its strength) to improve the club’s attacking options on the wings.
While all this remains speculation, the simple fact that nearly every bigwig in calcio journalism has jumped on the story has sent a shockwave through the Romaverse—and rightfully so. It’s one thing to part with a talented young player, but it’s an entirely different and altogether worse story to sell said player to a direct rival a week and a half before the season begins—all while a new manager is trying to install his new vision.
The story has progressed so far that those very same reporters are now identifying Koné‘s possible replacement, AS Monaco’s Soungoutou Magassa.
This is probably the 15th time I’ve repeated this phrase this week, but stay tuned—things are about to get very interesting (and controversial) in Trigoria.
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See More:
* [Roma Transfers: Real & Imagined](/as-roma-transfer-news-rumors)