Chelsea have been labelled as one of the clubs leading the race for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone.
What’s the latest on Manu Kone to Chelsea?
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the West London outfit, alongside Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have already been “exploring contacts and the situation” for the coveted midfield sensation.
He said:
“It’s my understanding that three clubs in the moment are leading the race for Manu Kone, one for sure is Chelsea. Manchester United are following the player too, so Chelsea, Man United and PSG.”
Romano added that he expects the 21-year-old to depart Germany this summer and it will cost “at least €50m (£44m) with add-ons” to secure his signature.
Why do Chelsea want Kone?
Despite his young age, the former Toulouse prodigy has forged a glorious reputation across Europe. He has amassed over 8500 minutes across 114 senior appearances, registering 13 goal contributions.
The £6k-per-week machine has emerged as a formidable asset in a defensive and attacking sense. The powerhouse has averaged a mammoth tally of 2.6 tackles and 2 dribbles per 90 from his 24 Bundesliga appearances, as he currently ranks top of the Monchengladbach squad for these metrics, as per WhoScored.
His stunningly cute close control and effective dribbling is also showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 1% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for successful take-ons.
The central-midfield ace, who is still awaiting his debut for France’s first team, has also recorded an 86% pass completion race and former Monchengladbach boss Adi Butter has pinpointed Kone as someone with “a lot of potential.”
The 6 foot 1 gem could provide the ideal solution to Chelsea’s currently murky midfield situation. The Blues are yet to initiate talks with Mateo Kovacic regarding a contract extension and Denis Zakaria’s loan from Juventus appears increasingly unlikely to be made permanent. It remains to be seen if Ruben Loftus Cheek possesses the quality to start consistently and regularly for Graham Potter’s side so there is obvious room for another injection of quality.
Todd Boehly forked out a record Premier League transfer fee to bring 2022 World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez to Stamford Bridge and Kone could be the perfect long-term partner for the Argentine.
The Frenchman is contracted until 2025, so Die Fohlen is set to demand a large fee to compensate for his departure. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described the gifted orchestrator as a “one-man army” after an imperious performance against Bayern Munich.
The race for this generational box-to-box gem is going to be hotly contested with three European juggernauts with enormous budgets fronting this eye-catching chase.