Manchester United’s summer transfer window has been a turbulent affair, with the club struggling to adequately replace the outgoing Casemiro in midfield.
Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes were identified as primary targets, but both players opted to join Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, leaving Michael Carrick’s side to rethink.
A proposed deal for Ederson collapsed, before moves for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans emerged seemingly from nowhere and gathered serious momentum.
While those signings add genuine quality to the squad, there remains a nagging sense that United are yet to find a true successor to the Brazilian anchor man.
Last season, Carrick effectively had just three reliable midfielders at his disposal in Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Casemiro himself.
Manuel Ugarte barely featured under the new manager and will miss further time after suffering an ACL rupture during the World Cup, ruling out any possibility of him departing.
Tielemans, a diminutive and creative playmaker, does not offer the physical presence United need, while Santos started just 13 Premier League matches during his time at Chelsea.
Several alternatives have been considered, including Aurelien Tchouameni, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, and Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha, though all three remain distant prospects for now.
The profile United appear to covet most closely resembles that of Paul Pogba, the maverick Frenchman who scored 39 goals and registered 51 assists across 233 appearances for the club after his £89m signing.
According to Fabrizio Romano, who revealed the development on his YouTube channel, United have already held talks with the agent of Roma midfielder Manu Kone regarding a potential transfer.
Valued at around £51m, Kone would represent another cost-effective acquisition in a summer window largely defined by inflated transfer fees across European football.
Liverpool are also credited with interest in the 25-year-old, underlining the level of competition United would face in any pursuit of the French international.
Rio Ferdinand described Kone as arguably “France’s best midfielder” at the World Cup, a tournament that significantly elevated his profile among Europe’s top clubs.
Standing at 6 foot 1, the Roma man possesses the physical tools to handle the demands of the Premier League, combining strength with technical quality in a way that draws natural comparisons.
In Serie A last season, Kone ranked among the top 15% of midfielders for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with 1.06, and among the best 15% for fouls drawn with 1.94 per 90.
Those attributes mirror some of Pogba’s most celebrated qualities, particularly his ability to carry the ball under pressure and win free kicks in dangerous areas.
Kone himself has spoken openly about the influence Pogba had on his development, making the comparison feel all the more fitting and deliberate.
In his own words: “I had two favourite players. The first is Pogba, it’s incredible what he did at Juventus and with France, he represented a lot for our national team. He was one of my idols, like Yaya Toure.”
He added: “They both had enormous careers, but I think that for my qualities and my style of play I can be compared a little to them.”
After a standout World Cup performance raised his stock considerably, Kone could prove to be precisely the dynamic, well-rounded midfielder United have been searching for all summer.