Arsenal strike a deal with Manu Koné and want to sign him before July
Arsenal are not just probing the market: the club has already reached a personal understanding with Manu Koné and is racing to seal the deal with Roma before the end of the month. The French midfielder, currently at the World Cup with the France national team, is Mikel Arteta’s number one priority for the midfield this European summer.
What Koné wants and who else was chasing his signature
The player’s own choice carries decisive weight in this story. Koné prefers Arsenal to Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan, two clubs that were monitoring him closely last season. The Premier League appeals to the Frenchman, and the reigning English champions, who reached the Champions League final, represent exactly the level he is aiming for now.
His entourage, however, is in no hurry to force a resolution while the World Cup is still under way. The immediate focus is the competition. But the outline of the agreement is already drawn.
Why Roma need to sell now
On the Italian side, the logic is financial and urgent. Roma need to register significant capital gains before June 30 to comply with a settlement agreement with UEFA. The deadline is tight, and Koné has become the most viable departure.
The club is asking 50 million euros for the midfielder. As his residual value on the books stands at around 12 million, the operation would generate an accounting profit of approximately 38 million – exactly the kind of relief the Romans need to record by the close of the fiscal year.
Other alternatives, such as selling Matías Soulé to Borussia Dortmund or Aston Villa, have not yet moved beyond the talking stage. No formal offer has been presented. Koné’s path has therefore become the most concrete.
How Roma plan to reorganize after the departure
Gian Piero Gasperini has already signaled that he will release the player. With the money from the sale, the club is targeting Mason Greenwood as an immediate reinforcement and has Crysencio Summerville on the radar as a second move. To fill the midfield vacancy, the name in play is Ismael Koné of Sassuolo – no relation to the Frenchman, but identified as the ideal profile for the role.
Timing is everything in this negotiation. Roma need the cash now. Arsenal want to close before July. And Manu Koné, on the other side of the Atlantic, is focused on the World Cup – but already knows where he is going.
