Roma Prepare for Koné Departure Amid Manchester United Interest

The World Cup is done, the market is open, and in Rome the mood is clear: Manu Koné is about to become the next big auction piece.

Roma expect significant offers for the French midfielder, with Manchester United at the front of the queue, according to reports relayed by La Gazzetta dello Sport. The club know what that usually means. When a Premier League giant locks in on one of your most valuable assets, you don’t just prepare a defence. You start drawing up life after him.

Gian Piero Gasperini has already set the tone. The coach admitted recently that the club will likely have to sacrifice a key player to balance the books. The deadline for that sale, initially earlier in the summer, has been pushed back by a month to July 31. It buys Roma time, not certainty.

Ideally, the Giallorossi would solve their financial puzzle by cashing in on Matias Soulé. That is the plan on paper. Reality has not followed. Concrete offers have been thin, and the Argentine has already turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, closing off one of the quickest routes to a major fee.

So attention swings back to Koné.

Roma have set his valuation at around €55–60 million.

On the pitch, that is the price of losing a central pillar. On the balance sheet, it is a windfall. Koné sits at just €12 million in the club’s accounts, meaning any big sale would generate a huge capital gain and go a long way toward easing those financial constraints Gasperini referenced.

Manchester United are tracking him as part of a wider midfield reshuffle, with Eduardo Camavinga and Alex Scott also on their list. Chelsea are in the frame as well, hunting for power and dynamism in the centre of the pitch. When two English heavyweights start circling the same target, the numbers tend to climb quickly.

Roma, though, are not planning to stand still if Koné goes.

Eyes on BlueCo assets and midfield reinforcements

The capital club have already begun scanning the market for replacements and opportunities, with a particular interest in players under the BlueCo umbrella, which controls Chelsea and associated clubs. The logic is simple: BlueCo have depth, Roma have a gap looming, and both sides have something to gain from the right deal.

Frank Kessié and Khephren Thuram are among the names under observation as Roma look to respond to Juventus’ late move for Zeki Celik. That deal stung. Celik, a player Roma thought they could count on, could now depart for around €40 million, forcing another sudden rethink in the squad structure.

The search doesn’t stop there. Celtic’s Arne Engels has made their shortlist, with a price tag in the €20–25 million range. He offers a different profile: younger, with room to grow, and potentially more affordable in both fee and wages than some of the established names.

From South America, Botafogo’s Danilo Santos has also entered the conversation. Fresh off a World Cup with Brazil, he carries a valuation of roughly €30–35 million. That kind of price signals serious intent; you don’t spend that on a squad player. If Roma move for him, it will be with the expectation that he steps straight into the core of Gasperini’s midfield.

A crossroads in the capital

This is where Roma find themselves: one eye on a blockbuster sale, the other on a complex rebuild that has to satisfy both the coach’s demands and the club’s financial reality.

Koné’s departure, if and when it comes, will not just be a line on a balance sheet. It will reshape the way Gasperini’s side plays, the way Roma compete in Italy and in Europe, and the way the club is perceived by those same Premier League giants who keep coming back for more.

The clock ticks toward July 31. Roma can delay the decision, but they cannot avoid it.