Roma and Manchester United Negotiations: Kone and Rashford

The idea is seductive on paper: Roma and Manchester United in negotiations over Manu Kone, and Marcus Rashford’s name quietly dropped into the conversation. A World Cup performer heading one way, a Premier League star seeking a reset heading the other. It sounds like the kind of deal that shapes summers.

Reality is already pushing back.

Kone price stalls United

Kone, fresh from an eye-catching 2026 World Cup with France, has drawn interest from Old Trafford, with United among the clubs tracking the Roma midfielder. His form on international duty has underlined why Roma value him so highly.

Roma’s situation, though, is complicated by Financial Fair Play. The club are weighing up significant sales to stay within the rules, and Kone sits near the top of the list of players who could command a major fee. Figures in Italy suggest a sale could bring in around €60m.

That number is the problem.

Reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport indicate United’s hierarchy are split on Kone at that price. The talent is not in doubt, but the fee is. There is no unanimous green light in Manchester, no internal push to simply pay what Roma want and move on.

So the talks continue, with United expected to press hard to drive the asking price down rather than walk away.

Rashford as a bargaining chip

It is in that context that Rashford’s name has surfaced. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, United could explore using the England forward as part of the negotiations for Kone.

Rashford, 28 by the time of the 2026 World Cup, remains a headline figure: a player with Champions League experience, a global profile and, at his best, game-breaking quality. He featured for England at the tournament in the United States, including the group-stage clash with Panama at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford.

For Roma, the idea of landing a player of that stature, even temporarily, is naturally enticing. For United, floating Rashford in talks signals a willingness to at least test the market and see what his inclusion might unlock.

Then the numbers arrive, and the fantasy collides with the balance sheet.

The salary wall

Rashford’s wages represent the first and biggest obstacle. Reports in Italy put his net salary at around €10m per season, with bonuses of roughly €2.5m on top. Dropping that package into Serie A would make him the league’s highest-paid player by a clear margin.

Roma, already juggling FFP considerations, would be stepping into a financial bracket that does not align with their current structure. The club are not built to absorb a salary of that size without significant compromise elsewhere.

That is why, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma would only seriously consider Rashford on an initial loan rather than a permanent move. Even then, the figures do not soften enough. United would be expected to shoulder a substantial portion of his wages to make any loan remotely feasible.

From Manchester United’s perspective, that scenario makes little sense. Covering a large slice of a top earner’s salary while losing him on the pitch and still paying a high fee for Kone is the kind of triple hit modern sporting directors are hired to avoid.

So the Rashford element, for now, looks more like a theoretical construct than a live, workable option.

A deal that doesn’t quite fit

Strip it back and the picture is clear. Roma may need to sell. Kone is one of their most valuable assets. United like him, but not at €60m. To bridge the gap, a high-profile name is floated. On closer inspection, Rashford’s contract and status make him a poor fit for a club trying to keep FFP in check.

The talks between Roma and United are expected to continue, with the focus returning to the numbers around Kone rather than the headline-grabbing idea of Rashford in Serie A.

For now, it looks far more likely that any agreement, if it comes, will be built on cold negotiation over fees than on the shock of seeing one of England’s most recognisable forwards suddenly walking out at the Stadio Olimpico.