Manchester City have identified Roma’s Manu Kone as a potential signing in their revamped midfield after selling Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders.
Both midfielders departed this week for a combined total of around £110million, leaving Enzo Maresca with holes to fill in his squad just days before the Premier League season starts.
City are hopeful of wrapping up a deal for Lille’s deep-lying midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, valued at £85m, in the coming days to bolster that area of the pitch.
And Daily Mail Sport understands that Kone – who featured five times for France during the World Cup – is on the list of those to target before the window closes.
The 25-year-old has spent the past two years in Serie A, scoring four goals in 63 appearances for Roma, but is more renowned for his dynamism and excels off the ball.
Roma are reported to have set an asking price of around £51m for Kone – a broadly similar figure to that paid by Al-Qadsiah for Reijnders.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the former Borussia Monchengladbach man. Daily Mail Sport last month revealed how United had spoken to his representatives, but they are now swooping for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
Manu Kone played at the World Cup with France and Manchester United
Kone, who has 19 France caps, started four of their matches in North America over the summer and came on at half time of the semi-final defeat by Spain.
City remain interested in Enzo Fernandez, with Chelsea’s soft deadline to complete a deal for £120m having passed without a formal bid. The Argentina wants to link back up with Maresca, with City unwilling to reach Chelsea’s demands.
In what promises to be a frantic final fortnight of the window, Newcastle are also exploring a move for Nico Gonzalez.
City are in advanced talks to sell both Savinho and Omar Marmoush to Tottenham.
The two deals combined would likely be worth upwards of £140m, with Daily Mail Sport revealing earlier in the week that Spurs were pressing ahead with those moves.
Maresca recently suggested that both players were considering their futures after a lack of minutes last term.
