Roma Prepares for Koné Departure as Manchester United Shows Interest

The World Cup has barely slipped out of focus, but in Rome the gaze is fixed firmly on the market. Roma are preparing for life after Manu Koné, and they know the calls are coming. Big ones.

Manchester United are at the front of the queue, with the French midfielder high on their list as they weigh options that also include Eduardo Camavinga and Alex Scott. Chelsea are in the frame too, sensing an opportunity in a player whose value has exploded.

Roma have set their price: €55–60 million. On the club’s books, Koné is worth just €12 million. Any sale at those figures would mean a hefty capital gain, the kind of deal that reshapes a balance sheet and, by extension, a squad.

Financial clock ticking

Gian Piero Gasperini has already laid out the reality. One key piece will likely have to go to satisfy financial demands. The deadline to make that happen has been pushed back by a month, now landing on July 31. It buys Roma time, not comfort.

Ideally, the Giallorossi would prefer to cash in on Matias Soulé. That was the plan. The market, so far, has not cooperated. Concrete offers have been thin, and Soulé has already turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. With that avenue closed, the spotlight swings back to Koné.

If a major bid lands, Roma will listen.

BlueCo links and a replacement puzzle

Selling a pillar in midfield forces a second, equally delicate question: who comes next?

Roma have been studying several options, many of them under the BlueCo umbrella that controls Chelsea and a cluster of associated clubs. Frank Kessié and Khephren Thuram are both on their radar, profiles that would instantly add power and presence in the center of the pitch.

Those names carry another layer of context. Roma are still smarting from Juventus swooping in late to snatch Zeki Celik, and there is a clear desire to respond decisively in this window. Celik himself could yet be sacrificed for around €40 million, another potential lever if the Koné saga drags on.

Wider net: Engels and Danilo Santos

The search does not stop with BlueCo assets. Roma have also flagged Celtic’s Arne Engels as a serious candidate. The Belgian comes with a €20–25 million valuation, a more manageable fee that could appeal if Koné’s sale becomes the financial anchor of the summer.

Then there is Danilo Santos of Botafogo, fresh from involvement with Brazil’s World Cup squad. His price, around €30–35 million, reflects both pedigree and potential. He would not be a bargain, but he would be a statement.

Roma’s shortlist is clear, the strategy even clearer: turn one major sale into a structural rebuild in midfield.

The question now is simple and brutal. Do they cash in on Manu Koné at the peak of his value, or hold their nerve and risk missing the kind of deal that can define a season’s trajectory?