After securing Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Manchester United are weighing a move for the Roma star while keeping Brazilian midfielder Danilo on their radar to bolster Carrick’s squad.
Manchester United's efforts to strengthen their midfield this summer have been anything but smooth. The club explored deals for Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, but none of those moves came to fruition, forcing them to look elsewhere for reinforcements.
For a brief period, it appeared United had finally found their solution after reaching an agreement with Atalanta for Éderson. However, the transfer collapsed when concerns arose during the Brazilian midfielder's medical, leading the club to walk away from the deal. Even so, reports suggest United have not entirely abandoned hope of reviving negotiations before the transfer window shuts.
Despite those early setbacks, the Reds responded positively by securing two midfield additions in quick succession for Michael Carrick's squad. The first arrival was promising Brazilian talent Andrey Santos, who joined from Chelsea in a deal worth an initial £48 million, with an extra £2 million available through performance-related add-ons. Chelsea also retained a 10% sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
United then followed up with another important signing by activating Youri Tielemans' £35 million release clause, bringing the experienced Belgian international to Old Trafford from Aston Villa. Landing Tielemans capped off a strong turnaround in the club's transfer business, giving Carrick's midfield a significant lift after a slow start to the summer window.
With AS Roma needing to sell a marquee player this summer, Manu Koné has emerged as the player the club is willing to sacrifice in order to balance the books. Manchester United have emerged as the main club in the race for the French star, with previous reports indicating that United had an agreement in principle for the 25-year-old.
Despite that, negotiations have seemingly stalled, as United continue to monitor the market for a defensive midfielder. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano gave an update on the current Koné situation, while also stating that a second midfield option has been offered to the club instead of the Roma star.
“There is a difference on two profiles being linked over the recent days.
“I would say two, three profiles because Danilo from Brazil is a player who has been offered to Man Utd. "It’s not a negotiation started from Man Utd.
“Manu Kone is a player that Manchester United have under consideration. Man United spoke to the agents of the player.
“Man United had concrete conversations with the agents of the player, but Man United are yet to reach out to Roma because they are yet to decide which player they want as defensive midfielder.
“So, Man United have not started an official negotiation with Roma, have not sent an official bid for Manu Kone because of what they want to do in midfield, but Danilo has been offered to Utd.
“United called the agent of Manu Kone, so it’s different, but yet to be a club-to-club negotiation. So, Man United could go for a different midfielder.
“It’s still an open story.”
Manchester United have done well to bounce back from a relatively slow start to the summer window, signing Youri Tielemans for an impressive £35 million fee before spending £50 million on Andrey Santos, a player with great potential.
The pair, who both possess Premier League experience, will go a long way in adding critical depth to the midfield ahead of a battle on four fronts next season, as Michael Carrick will be looking to build on his fantastic second half of last season.
Having signed two box-to-box midfielders, United have still not properly replaced Casemiro, one of the best defensive midfielders of the past decade, and the club's next midfield signing could show how Carrick is looking to set up his side next season.
If United were to sign another box-to-box midfielder such as Koné, it could signal a return to a United side similar to the one Carrick himself played in, with Sir Alex Ferguson usually lining his side up in a 4-4-2 setup. Like Carrick, Andrey Santos and Manu Kone are more defensive-minded midfielders, but not out-and-out holding midfielders such as Casemiro.
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