Price tag would be: Fabrizio Romano explains when United will move for 25-yo World Cup star

Manchester United have signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer, but there is a belief that they still need a defensive midfielder to properly replace Casemiro. The veteran Brazilian played a crucial role in the Red Devils’ third-place finish in the Premier League last season, but left this summer as a free agent. Casemiro has joined Inter Miami to start a new chapter in his career. Meanwhile, the English giants signed Santos from Chelsea and Tielemans from Aston Villa to upgrade their midfield, which is likely to be without the injured Manuel Ugarte for much of the upcoming season. Santos even made his first-team debut in the 1-0 defeat to Wrexham last weekend in United’s first pre-season tie. Much is expected of the young Brazilian, as well as Tielemans, who is coming off an impressive campaign with the Villans. However, the Red Devils still need to add more steel to the middle of the park, and recent reports suggest that AS Roma’s Manu Kone is on their wish list for the job. Kone’s World Cup exploits Kone was impressive for AS Roma last season and subsequently earned a place in the French squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 25 year old appeared in five of Les Bleus’ eight games at the tournament and gave a solid account of himself. Manu Kone Stats: 2026 FIFA World Cup MatchdayDateOpponentResultPositionGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Group I17/06/26Senegal3–1On the bench—– Group I23/06/26Iraq3–0DM—-90′ Group I27/06/26Norway4–1CM—-90′ Round of 3201/07/26Sweden3–0On the bench—– Round of 1605/07/26Paraguay1–0CM–1-81′ Quarter-Finals10/07/26Morocco2–0DM—-71′ Semi-Finals15/07/26Spain0–2CM—-45′ Third Place Play-Off19/07/26England6–4On the bench—– Source: Transfermarkt. The Frenchman’s performances have forced his suitors to take note, and United are among the clubs in the running for his signature. A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person states that Al-Ahli are ready to hijack the Red Devils’ pursuit of the Roma star. Kone’s resistance to the press, his ball-carrying ability, and defensive solidity make him an enticing option for United this summer. Acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update on the English giants’ plans to sign the player. Kone not expected to cost a fortune Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano insisted that United are yet to hold club-to-club negotiations with Roma for Kone. He said: “For Manu Kone, Man United had contacts with the camp of the player, so there were conversations last week.” “I told you, it was an exclusive story here on the channel last week. Now the conversations continue, but Man United have to wait to understand how much they can spend on the defensive midfielder.” “As soon as they can decide how much they spend on the defensive midfielder, and as soon as they clarify who is the wanted player, then Man United will go for the next steps.” “At the moment, Manu Kone remains on Manchester United’s list, but still no bid to Roma, no club-to-club negotiations. That’s the situation for Manu Kone as of today.” Romano went on to insist that Kone will not cost a fortune this summer, concluding: “If you see reports of €85-90m for Manu Kone, I’m told that it’s not accurate. I’m hearing that the price tag would be lower for the French midfielder.” Final Thoughts United have already missed out on several of their top targets this summer, including Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. As such, INEOS must step up their pursuit of Kone to ensure that a rival does not pip them to the Frenchman’s signature. Feature image Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.