Roma Grows Confident Kone Will Stay Amid City Interest

All summer, Manu Kone’s name has sat on the hottest lists in Europe. Roma’s midfielder has been tied to Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, with reports bouncing between England and Italy about who might move first.

For City, the storyline looked ready-made. They have already lost Rodri and could soon see Nico Gonzalez depart as well, and the British press recently pushed the idea of the Premier League champions turning to Kone as a solution.

Roma see it differently.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Serie A club are increasingly confident Kone will remain at the Stadio Olimpico. The message to suitors is blunt: anyone wanting him, including Manchester City, must put €55 million on the table. Right now, that scenario feels distant.

Back in June, Roma did briefly open the door. Financial Fair Play pressures forced the club to weigh up a significant sale, and Kone naturally came under consideration. Even then, though, no formal offer arrived from England despite all the noise.

The only concrete move came from Atletico Madrid. Their bid never came close to Roma’s valuation and was swiftly parked, especially after Kone delivered a standout World Cup campaign that only hardened the club’s stance.

Now the mood in Rome has shifted. Optimism is growing that the Frenchman will stay, with Manchester City understood to be chasing bigger, more expensive midfield targets such as Enzo Fernandez and Ayoub Bouaddi.

Roma started the window braced for a fight to keep Kone. They may yet end it holding one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe without a serious bid ever landing on their desk.