There is confidence in the INEOS system following Manchester United’s improved performance in 2025, but questions are creeping in over this recruitment drive as we enter pre-season.
Signing a strong midfield player appears to be essential at Old Trafford, but options are starting to be whittled down one by one, with Elliott Anderson leaving for Manchester City, Matheus Fernandes leaving for Tottenham Hotspur and Aurélien Tchoameny staying at Real Madrid.
The latter case is all too familiar to United, often used as a means for high-profile players to secure contract extensions, and brought to mind memories of one Sergio Ramos in 2015.
Of course, there are other low-key moves going on in Manchester, but have we seen them before?
Why this summer feels like 2023 for Manchester United
The Red Devils enter the summer of 2023 on stable footing after winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third under Dutch coach Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman had a decent inaugural season.
Indeed, the season ended quietly with defeat in the FA Cup final and exit from the Europa League, and the 7-0 defeat at Anfield was a real stain on him, but the club looked ready to start again for Ten Hag’s second season.
There was talk of moves for the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice, but the end result was far more disappointing, with Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Mason Mount joining the club.
The latter has endured three injury-plagued seasons in Manchester, while Onana and Hjølund spent last season on loan, with the Dane making his first move to Napoli on a permanent basis.
Fast forward to present day, with United finishing third and once again qualifying for the Champions League under manager Michael Carrick, and the similarities are clear.
A new goalkeeper is expected to arrive in the form of Karl Darlow, with Andrej Santos set to join from Mount’s former club Chelsea in a further £50m-plus deal.
Ederson was expected to join from Atalanta, Hoylund’s former club, but the deal seemed to have hit a dead end, and the sense of déjà vu will be even stronger.
As for Santos and Darlow, they shouldn’t be fired before they even enter the building, but they seem in desperate need of more high-profile signings this summer.
How will Manchester United recover from Choameni’s snub?
There was speculation that Choameni would be keen to return to Madrid and join United if he was told he was fit, but it is now expected that he will instead sign a new contract at the Bernabéu until 2031.
The 26-year-old is everyone’s dream target and has been a player the Old Trafford side have been monitoring for years, ever since his days at Monaco.
Unfortunately, that ship has now sailed, but another France World Cup star could also be on the table, with suggestions that Choameni’s international teammate Manu Khone is also under consideration.
Journalist Ben Jacobs, speaking on Thursday’s United Stand podcast, said United are “inquiring” about the possibility of signing Kone if Ederson’s signing does not go as expected, as is currently the case.
AS Roma currently expect the 25-year-old to be eligible for a transfer fee of around £50 million if he leaves the Stadio Olimpico this summer.
Although not as well-known as Choameny, Kone gained widespread attention after replacing an injured France midfielder in Madrid during a recent World Cup match, making a huge impact alongside Adrien Rabiot.
Hailed in the past by talent scout Jacek Kulig as a “monstrous box-to-box midfielder”, Kone has flourished under Didier Deschamps, becoming a calm and controlled figure in his number six role.
Kone – Career | ||
|---|---|---|
club | game | Goal (assist) |
Gladbach | 86 | 6(3) |
rome | 82 | 4 (6) |
toulouse | 59 | 6(1) |
Toulouse B | 19 | 1 (0) |
Toulouse U19 | 4 | 1 (0) |
total | 250 | 18(10) |
France | 18 | 0 (0) |
Cone has started four games so far this summer, with an impressive passing accuracy of 93%, giving up the ball an average of just 7.3 times per game and averaging 1.3 successful long balls.
For context, this is not far off from Choameni himself, who started three games in this competition and boasted a passing accuracy of 91%, losing the ball just seven times and averaging 1.3 successful long balls per game.
While Choamenyi may have the edge defensively, with a comfortable lead in terms of tackles and interceptions (6.0 vs. 2.6), both players have similar numbers in terms of ball recoveries, averaging 6.3 and 5.3.
The fact that Choamenyi’s absence was hardly felt shows the depth of Deschamps’ discretion. Les Bleus still look very stable even with Kone coming in as his replacement, currently without conceding in either of their last two games.
Former Arsenal great Patrick Vieira hails the former Borussia Mönchengladbach star as currently “the best midfielder in France”, and the Roma man does not necessarily deserve to be just a substitute.
At 6-foot-1, Cone is another towering midfielder in the mold of Choameni and someone who could serve as a true pillar of Carrick’s midfield next season.
It’s usually not wise to sign players based on their performances in recent tournaments, but Kone has shone in Italy recently, finishing the 2025/26 season with a passing rate of 90% in Serie A, just below Tioameni’s average of 92% in La Liga.
Signing the young Frenchman for a potential transfer fee of around £50m could be a real coup for the Red Devils and the perfect replacement for Ederson.
