Newcastle United have been keeping a close eye on Manu Kone for a while and could be set to make their move this summer.
The French U21 international has been on Newcastle‘s radar since last summer when the Magpies opted to bide their time before making a move.
Kone has had a fantastic season for Borussia Monchengladbach and is being tracked by Liverpool and Chelsea as well as Newcastle with the Merseyside club said to have made contact already according to Football Transfers.
Kone is a ‘warrior’ in midfield – exactly what Newcastle need
The 22-year-old is said to be a ‘warrior‘ in the middle of the park, he’s ‘very strong‘ but is also able to run with the ball being in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons according to FBref.
Newcastle are keen to land a defensive midfielder this summer and Kone would be an ideal Eddie Howe signing. Good enough to slot straight into the first team but young enough that Howe can develop him into an even better player.
With Liverpool already talking to Kone’s agent, Newcastle would have to act fast to get their proposal to him and agree a fee with Borussia Monchengladbach who are said to want £30million for his services. He was almost an ever-present for Gladbach last season playing in 30 of their 34 league games last season, starting all 30, managing to score one goal and provide one assist.
Liverpool are currently leading the race for Kone
In a world where Southampton want £50million for 29-year-old James Ward-Prowse, £30million for Kone seems like a steal, especially given how much Kone could end up being worth in a few years with Howe coaching him and someone like Bruno Guimaraes as his mentor.
Newcastle shouldn’t let this one slip away now after having tracked him for almost a year, and hopefully they’ll be working behind the scenes to catch up to Liverpool and persuade him that he’s better served at Newcastle as his next move.
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