Manchester United are pushing hard to bring in another new midfielder after signing Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, with Roma’s Manu Kone the next big name on their shortlist.

The Red Devils have considered a host of stars in their exhaustive search, but have settled on France international Kone as their next top target. However, they do face competition from Chelsea.

Indeed, we revealed on Thursday that Chelsea are big admirers of Kone and have spoken with Roma over a potential deal, as they hold talks about over Alejandro Garnacho’s potential move to the Italian side.

As we reported, we could see both Man Utd and Chelsea both go head-to-head for the midfielder’s signature.

Now, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, as cited by Sport Witness, Man Utd have approached Kone’s representatives and learnt his ‘total willingness’ to make a move to Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils have been buoyed by the feedback and are reportedly ‘expected to submit an offer in the coming days’.

However, Chelsea are also said to be set to bid imminently, so Michael Carrick’s side certainly won’t have it all their own way.

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Man Utd face £51m hurdle to next midfield signing

Kone’s future will likely be resolved once his World Cup campaign has finished, as France still need to play England in the third-place play-off.

The following days could therefore be crucial in determining whether Man Utd or Chelsea win the race.

TEAMtalk transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, provided us with an exclusive update earlier today, confirming that the Premier League duo will likely have to pay around £51million to lure Kone from Roma.

“Manu Kone was a player that United and a number of English clubs always appreciated, but there were some historical doubts.

“Indeed, Liverpool looked long and hard at him a few summers ago, before eventually opting for other targets.

“Since then, though, he has really grown as a player, and especially since moving to Rome.

“He has been a key player for Roma, he has become a trusted player under Didier Deschamps for France. United feel he has matured, and that is appealing. Yes, he does not have Premier League experience, but they think he has everything they want and need.

“Kone is very much one of the more serious options for their last remaining midfield slot.

“The fact he is available for a fee of around £51m (€60m, $68.5m) fits in with their strategy nicely, allowing them to work their budget further for other signings.

“In fact, there will be a lot of satisfaction at United if they furnish Michael Carrick with three top new midfield signings for a combined fee of £135m, given the crazy prices floating around this summer.

“I am told United is a huge appeal to Kone, and his camp have made that known to Jason Wilcox et al.”

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