Roma Grows Confident Over Manu Kone as Manchester City Shifts Focus

Roma have spent the summer braced for a battle over Manu Kone. The midfielder’s name has been passed around Europe’s elite like a scouting reference: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City – all repeatedly linked, all watching.

For weeks, the loudest noise came from England. Reports there pushed Manchester City to the front of the queue, especially after the Premier League champions lost Rodri and with Nico Gonzalez also at risk of departure. A reshaped City midfield, the story went, could easily feature Kone at its heart.

Roma have never been blind to that risk.

Corriere dello Sport report that the Giallorossi briefly opened the door in June, weighing up a sale as they tried to stay on the right side of Financial Fair Play. The logic was simple: if a huge offer arrived, they would have to listen.

It never did.

No English club put a formal proposal on the table. The only concrete move came from Atletico Madrid, who tested Roma’s resolve but fell short of the asking price. Their bid was not enough to force a decision, especially with Kone coming off a standout World Cup that only strengthened the club’s belief in his value.

Roma have set that value at around €55 million. Anyone wanting to prise him from the Stadio Olimpico knows the figure. According to the Italian outlet, the feeling inside Trigoria is that no one will now pay it.

The mood has shifted.

What began as a nervous summer now looks more like a quiet victory for Roma’s directors. Confidence is growing that Kone will stay, that the midfield built around him will not be torn up just as it begins to take shape.

The market dynamics help. Manchester City, once painted as the most serious threat, are now said to be focusing on bigger, more expensive names: Enzo Fernandez and Ayoub Bouaddi are on their radar, pushing Kone down the list of priorities.

With City’s gaze drifting elsewhere and Atletico’s offer already dismissed, the race for Kone has stalled. Roma, after months of watching and waiting, suddenly look like the club in control.