Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Rangnick favourite Kouadio Kone linked with quickly earned Man Utd or Leicester transfer

Kouadio Kone playing for Borussia Monchengladbach

Manchester United have made initial contact over the possible transfer of Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone.

Also known as Manu Kone, the Frenchman has been plying his trade in the Bundesliga since leaving Toulouse in 2021. He had been linked with Manchester United before that move, and now their interest has apparently resurfaced.

According to L’Equipe, Kone could leave the Bundesliga behind this summer. In turn, Manchester United are interested in taking him to the Premier League.

In fact, United have supposedly commenced contact over the potential transfer. However, they face plenty of competition for his services.

Also keenly interested are Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Man Utd’s fellow Premier League side, Leicester City.

Kone played 29 times between the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in the 2021-22 season. He amassed three goals and one assist in his debut season in Germany.

However, he could quickly move on from Monchengladbach, despite his contract there running until 2025 with the option of a further year.

In the process, the Premier League could be his destination. The report reminds that Ralf Rangnick is an admirer of the 21-year-old.

Rangnick has completed his tenure as Man Utd’s interim manager but will continue to advise the club after Erik ten Hag takes the reins. Consequently, there could be a German theme as well as a Dutch one when it comes to their summer activity.

United are bracing themselves for the departures of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard from their midfield in the summer. It would likely still have been an area to reinforce anyway.

However, Leicester will also be looking to make their own signings after missing out on European football for next season. The Foxes have competed well with bigger clubs over the past few years, so could be eyeing some deals in the transfer market to bridge that gap again.

None of their current midfielders are out of contract but they should be wary of interest from other clubs in Youri Tielemans, for one.

Therefore, there could be a couple of routes into English football for France youth international Kone.

Move may be too soon for Kouadio Kone

When making his decision to leave Toulouse last year, Kone ended up picking a good next destination for his development.

In the Bundesliga, he has been able to build up his gametime. Were he to move to a club as big as Man Utd, Juventus or Atletico, he may risk stunting his progression.

Leicester, on the other hand, have a good track record of getting youngsters involved in their team.

Even so, the wisest thing right now for Kone may be to spend at least one more season with Monchengladbach. If he can have another positive season, his chances of a move to a bigger club will not diminish.

However, there could always be the temptation to join a European giant if they do come forward with an offer.

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