Man Utd backed to sign £51m Arsenal transfer target who is ‘better than Declan Rice’

Troy Deeney would ‘love’ to see Manchester United sign Manu Kone and believes the France midfielder could be ‘better than Declan Rice’.

Kone is wanted by several top European clubs after catching the eye with his performances for France during their run to the World Cup semi-finals.

The Roma midfielder had attracted interest from Arsenal earlier in the summer, while reports in France suggested that Chelsea held talks with his representatives over a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, it is United who now appear to be leading the race to sign Kone, who could be available for a fee of around €60million (£51m).

The Red Devils have already signed Premier League-proven duo Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, but are keen to sign a third central midfielder to bolster Michael Carrick’s options.

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba are two options that are both also being considered, but former Premier League striker Deeney believes United should go all in for the Frenchman Kone.

‘I can’t believe the likes of Spurs didn’t look at Manu Kone, centre midfielder for Roma, obviously played for France as well,’ he told talkSPORT.

’25 years of age, played 45 games two years ago, played 37 games last year, so he’s durable. He’s playing in the French national team over lads like Camavinga who got left behind, and you can probably get it for about 60 million pounds.

‘Now, when you look at what Spurs paid for Fernandes, who has been relegated twice, I think it’s a bargain. I would love Man United to sign him.’

Asked to describe Kone’s style of play, Deeney compared the 25-year-old to Declan Rice but said the Frenchman could be even better than the all-action Arsenal midfielder.

‘I think he’s very, very talented,’ Deeney added. ‘I think he’s got the attributes to shine in the Premier League, not only the physical element; tactically he’s aware and breaks the lines with the runs as well.

‘Other than City and Arsenal, I think he would impact every other midfield in the Premier League. He’s got very Declan Rice attributes; he’s got a very big engine, running hard, but I think he may be a little bit tactically smarter than Declan as well.’

Sky Sports reports that United’s interest in Kone is not advanced, and former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes the Blues should try and hijack the deal to bring Kone to Stamford Bridge.

‘He has been excellent for France,’ Johnson told Metro via Spinbet. ‘A top midfielder, strong, physical, can use the ball well, pick a pass well, he is a top player, and to get into the French midfield you must be a good player.

‘If Enzo leaves, he can be the perfect replacement for sure. His attributes seem to be suited to the Premier League, so I don’t think he will have any issues getting used to the game at all.’

Kone was asked about the intense speculation over his future ahead of the World Cup, but said he was keen to remain ‘exclusively focused’ on his commitments with Les Bleus.

‘Honestly, right now I’m only thinking about the World Cup,’ Kone said. ‘It’s my first major international competition, a tournament I’ve always dreamed of playing in.

‘I want to remain exclusively focused on this. We’ll talk about the future after the World Cup and see what happens.’

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