Aston Villa’s transfer window materialized in the most dramatic of ways. The transfer of Johan Manzambi was an undeniable shock, especially for Newcastle United, but things quickly started to sink in once news of Youri Tielemans’ departure from Manchester United broke.
Villa are now looking for revenge after losing the Belgian for just £35m after the Red Devils activated his release clause, with United targeting AS Roma’s Manu Kone.
Football Fancast Verdict | |
|---|---|
reliability | Man United and Aston Villa are still looking for another midfield addition after Tielemans and Manzambi are gone. Kone isn’t a bad option either. He had a great World Cup experience with France, and the fact that Roma would have to sell to comply with FFP rules in Italy means their star is likely to leave for the right price. |
finances | Roma have stuck with their €60m (about £51m) asking price and are waiting to see if the price increases if France win this summer’s World Cup. It’s a blow for Aston Villa and Man United, but that hasn’t stopped both clubs from making approaches in recent weeks. |
insight | Kone is one of the most complete midfielders at the World Cup. He reappeared on the biggest stage and reminded everyone exactly what he can offer both in and out of possession, winning 17 duels and maintaining a pass completion rate of over 92%. |
impact | Aston Villa and Man United are expected to remain on the market even if they miss out on the connection, meaning there are still several other players to keep an eye on. |
Aston Villa have immediate revenge on their minds and signing Kone could complete a rapid midfield shake-up.
Aston Villa hijack Man United to sign Kone
According to Corriere dello Sport, reported by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are currently making an approach to sign the Frenchman in a bid to hijack Man United’s move to sign the Frenchman.
The Red Devils have already made contact and are reportedly willing to pay around 50 million euros (approximately 4.3 billion yen) to sign the midfielder this summer.
However, as it stands, Roma are sticking to their offer and are demanding up to 60 million euros (approximately 5.1 billion yen) to part ways with Kone, despite the FFP issue.
Kone would be the perfect partner for Manzambi
With two moves, Aston Villa could have Unai Emery instantly rebuild their midfield.
Losing Tielemans is certainly a similar blow to losing Amadou Onana to an ACL injury, but Manzambi and Kone would be the perfect partnership. This duo balances each other out very well.
While the former is more of a luxury player, with plenty of freedom to unleash the defense, Kone provides stability for those players to develop, and has been hailed by Rio Ferdinand in particular as “France’s best midfielder at the World Cup”. It’s perfect for the villa.
2026 world cup | sin | connection |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 200 | 341 |
the goal | 3 | 0 |
Contribution in defense | 3 | 11 |
collect | 5 | twenty one |
An opportunity has arisen | 3 | 3 |
There is still a long way to go before Villa complete their takeover, but there is no doubt that Kone is someone to keep an eye on.
