Roma Confident of Retaining Manu Kone Amidst Manchester City Interest

Roma have spent most of the summer fending off transfer noise around Manu Kone. The midfielder’s name has been pushed around England and Italy, tied to Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City in a carousel of rumours.

For a while, City looked like the real threat. British reports framed Kone as a serious option after the Premier League champions lost Rodri and faced the prospect of Nico Gonzalez departing as well. A vacancy in the heart of midfield, a powerful, World Cup‑hardened performer in Rome – it felt like a familiar story.

The numbers tell a different one.

Corriere dello Sport report that Roma now feel increasingly confident Kone will stay at the Stadio Olimpico. The message is simple: anyone who wants him, City included, will have to put €55 million on the table. At this stage, that kind of bid is not expected.

Roma did open the door a crack in June. Financial Fair Play pressures forced the club to at least consider a major sale, and Kone was one of the names that could have unlocked a significant fee. Even then, though, the English giants never moved beyond admiration. No formal offer arrived from the Premier League.

Only Atletico Madrid tested Roma’s resolve. Their proposal, though, fell short of what the Giallorossi considered acceptable, especially after Kone’s impressive World Cup campaign had pushed his stock higher. Selling him on the cheap was never going to be an option.

Now the mood has shifted.

Inside Roma, optimism is growing that the midfielder will remain, with the market’s dynamics working in their favour. Manchester City, once floated as a prime destination, are now concentrating on bigger, more expensive targets such as Enzo Fernandez and Ayoub Bouaddi.

With the champions of England looking elsewhere and no English giant yet willing to hit Roma’s asking price, the path is suddenly clear: unless someone blinks late in the window, Manu Kone’s future looks set to stay in the capital.