England vs France offers Manu Kone the perfect stage to seal his £47m move to Man United

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The Peoples Person

16 July 2026

Despite initially struggling to land their top targets,

Manchester United

now appear to be on course to assemble one of the strongest engine rooms in Europe.

Youri Tielemans

and

Andrey Santos

have already raised the technical ceiling at the heart of midfield. If an athletic defensive midfielder is added into the mix, this summer window could be judged as nearly perfect.

Aurelien Tchouameni should have been the dream defensive midfielder signing, but it is unlikely he will leave Real Madrid. Los Blancos have offered him a new long-term deal,

and he has agreed to it.

No Tchouameni, no problem; United have turned to his compatriot

Manu Kone

instead.

Kone is one of the finest sixes available. He is dynamic and press-resistant, with elite ball-carrying, physical dominance, and high-intensity defensive work.

His performances at AS Roma have gone under the radar until now, but his displays at the

World Cup

have opened many eyes to what a force Kone is.

The way he has perfectly filled in for the injured Tchouameni at the

has prompted

suggestions that he could prove just as good a buy

as Tchouameni would have been.

United have already opened contact over this transfer, though no concrete moves have been made so far. That, however, could change after the France-versus-England third-place

play-off this weekend.

Against England, Kone is set to face most of the players he would encounter were he to move to United.

The

French

titan is likely to face Declan Rice and

Elliot Anderson

, two of the Premier League’s finest central midfielders.

How he fares against the pair may see United’s scouts tick the final boxes and give INEOS the green light to press ahead and splash the cash on this anticipated Serie A raid.

That said, while Kone may prove his worth with a top performance against England, United surely will not be the only ones watching.

Aston Villa

Chelsea

are also said to be seriously considering a move for him, so they will also be watching.

Ultimately, then, it may come down to whoever moves quickest and strikes a deal for Kone, who, after his exploits on the world stage, will be ready to consider offers and will want convincing over where best to take the next step in his career.

Hopefully, it is United he wants to join, as he, Tielemans, and Santos could give the Red Devils a formidable engine room capable of utterly dominating opponents.

Featured image Paolo Bruno via Getty Images

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