Manchester United's Midfield Rebuild Faces Kone Challenge
Manchester United’s midfield rebuild under INEOS has hit its first snag, and it comes in the shape of Manu Kone’s Parisian dream.
United have already moved with purpose this summer, bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa as Michael Carrick reshapes the core of his side. Two deals done, both with an eye on control and composure. The third signing was supposed to add bite, power and Champions League pedigree.
For weeks, that player looked like Kone.
Kone waits on Paris
On July 9, TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey revealed United’s interest in the AS Roma midfielder, fresh from an impressive 2026 World Cup with France. Roma’s stance was clear: £50 million or nothing. United, convinced by his ceiling and ready to back Carrick’s vision, were preparing a bid in the region of €50m (£42.6m, $57m).
In Italy, the mood music sounded optimistic. Corriere dello Sport described United as the club “with the most potential for the deal,” detailing ongoing talks and an agreement in principle over personal terms. Agent Federico D’Amico, they reported, was waiting for the decisive move from Manchester. The numbers were serious. The intent was real.
But there was always a shadow on the deal. Paris Saint-Germain.
According to Il Tempo, Kone is now holding out for a call from last season’s Ligue 1 and Champions League winners. SportWitness and RomaPress both relayed the report: Kone is open to joining United, but his first choice is PSG. As of now, Luis Enrique’s side have not stepped forward with a concrete offer. The door to Old Trafford is open, just not fully walked through.
United are not alone in admiring him. Atletico Madrid, Al-Ahli and Chelsea have all been linked. Roma’s valuation and Kone’s preference for PSG leave United in a familiar position: big club, big plans, but forced to navigate around a player’s dream destination and a selling club’s hard line.
Baleba: the expensive alternative
INEOS, though, are not gambling everything on one midfielder. Behind the Kone pursuit sits another long-term target: Carlos Baleba.
The Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder wanted to join United last season, only for the deal to collapse under the weight of Brighton’s demands. The Seagulls were asking for more than £100m for the 22-year-old Cameroon international. United walked away.
The admiration, however, never really cooled.
Bailey reported on July 21 that United’s recruitment team want a midfielder who can truly shore up the defensive side of Carrick’s structure. In their ideal scenario, that player would be Baleba. They “absolutely love his game,” even after what they view as an inconsistent campaign on the south coast.
Internally, United rate him around the £50m mark. Brighton see it very differently. Before Elliot Anderson briefly became the most expensive British player ever – a benchmark later overtaken by Morgan Rogers – Brighton were already talking about figures well north of £75m and closer to £100m. That kind of price tag drags Baleba out of United’s realistic reach.
The admiration is still there. The deal is not.
A pivotal choice in midfield
Sky Sports reported on July 23 that both Kone and Baleba remain strongly considered options for United. On paper, they tick similar boxes: young, athletic, able to anchor a midfield and handle the physical and tactical demands of the Premier League and Champions League. In practice, both come with complications – one waiting on PSG, the other locked behind Brighton’s valuation.
Carrick’s brief is clear. Compete in Europe, challenge domestically, and do it with a midfield built to dominate rather than survive. INEOS have already backed that plan with two signings. The third could define the balance of the entire project.
United have shown they are willing to pay big fees. They have shown they are prepared to move early. What they have not yet shown, in this window, is whether they will push beyond their own valuations to land the player they truly want.
Kone waits for Paris. Brighton wait for a nine-figure offer. United wait for a deal that makes sense.
Something has to give. The question is whether it will be the selling clubs’ demands, the player’s ambitions – or United’s resolve.
