Chelsea asked serious questions after Manu Kone reaches ‘agreement in principle’
Despite already spending over £200 million in the summer window, Chelsea are showing no signs of slowing down yet.
The Blues have undoubtedly been the busiest club this summer so far.
Several players have already left with the Blues splashing the cash on new additions. Their latest deal saw Morgan Rogers move from Aston Villa for an eye-watering £117 million; a fee that’s made him Britain’s most expensive player.
And still with several areas of the pitch to address, Chelsea are on the hunt for at least one new central midfielder.
The Blues saw a £64 million opening offer for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott quickly rejected this week and it remains to be seen if they’ll try again.
And another midfielder high on the club’s shortlist is Roma’s Manu Kone.
Roma have ‘agreement in principle’ to sell Manu Kone
Kone enjoyed an excellent season in Italy and earned the right to be included in Didier Deschamps’ final France squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Although Les Bleus crashed out at the semi-final stage, Kone was a standout player, featuring in five of the country’s matches, including three knockout ties.
As a result of his impressive performances on the world’s biggest stage, the 25-year-old is now linked with a big move to the Premier League, and Chelsea are among the sides interested.
The Blues face strong competition from Manchester United, though. The Red Devils, despite signing Andrey Santos for £50 million, also need another central midfielder, and according to Corriere Dello Sport have an ‘agreement in principle’ with Roma worth £43 million.
The report states that should Chelsea also come to the table, Roma will increase their asking price to £51 million.
Kone over Scott is a no brainer
Amazingly, both potential fees, should they be made formally, are considerably lower than what Bournemouth are expecting Chelsea to pay for Scott.
No one is denying Scott’s potential, but it’s a no brainer for the Blues to focus their attention on Kone.
Not only is Roma’s number 17 still yet to reach his prime, but he’s already a proven international. Scott is not.
The closest the Cherries’ 22-year-old has come to being included in Thomas Tuchel’s England plans is training with the squad in the build up to the World Cup.
Scott may well go on to develop into a leading midfielder, but for now, he’s not at that level, and Chelsea — aiming to return to European football — can no longer rely on ‘maybe’s’.
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