Arsenal could succeed where Liverpool failed by finally bringing Kouadio Kone to the Premier League this summer, according to reports.
The 22-year-old, who is also known as Manu Kone, spent time at Paris FC and Toulouse but left his native France in summer 2021 by signing for Borussia Monchengladbach. Since then, the central midfielder has played 81 games for Gladbach, notching six goals and four assists.
Gladbach only spent €9million when capturing Kone, and that move has proven to be very clever indeed. The right-footed midfielder has established himself as a reliable performer in the Bundesliga, which has alerted major clubs to his huge potential.
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Amid their midfield revamp last summer, Liverpool reportedly held discussions with Gladbach over Kone’s potential capture. Klopp is understood to be a big admirer of the France U23 international, and it was even claimed that he was ‘going to Liverpool‘ at one stage.
But Liverpool did not manage to sign Kone, as they were priced out of a move. The Reds felt that Gladbach’s £50m asking price was too steep.
Liverpool also missed out on other midfielders such as Khephren Thuram, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
While Kone did not end up at Anfield, he could still shine in the Premier League in the near future. Recent reports have stated that Arsenal are keen on him as they look to replace Thomas Partey.
As per French football expert Jonathan Johnson, Arsenal will face competition from Ligue 1 clubs to snare Kone. But, in a boost for Mikel Arteta, Kone should be available for significantly less than the £50m figure which was previously touted.
“Manu Kone is a name coming up again after we saw him linked with Liverpool last summer, and now with Arsenal as they look for a midfielder ahead of the next transfer window,” Johnson said in his latest column for the Daily Briefing.
“He’s a name that pops up quite often for top European clubs, so it’s not surprising to see him making headlines again.
“In terms of links with Arsenal specifically, I think it’s early days yet but they’re certainly one of a number of clubs keeping an eye on him. I know there are other clubs in the Premier League who are interested, and some clubs in Ligue 1 who’d be keen to bring him back to France as well.
“Kone is a player of interest and is probably someone who will be on the move this summer. It’s something that’s been discussed now for quite a while as he seems to have outgrown Borussia Monchengladbach, while the club too probably need something of a more far-reaching transitional period than the one that we’ve already seen.
“So I don’t think it’s impossible that they’ll look to cash in on Kone and rebuild so they can become more than just a mid-table team as they are at the moment, and look to get back more towards the European places.
“It’s not the first time Kone has been on the radar of several top clubs, but I’d say it’s more likely he’ll move this summer than in previous years. It also seems likely that the under-performance of Gladbach this year probably also means Kone’s asking price won’t be quite as daunting as it has been in the past to the teams who’ve looked at him before. He could now be seen more as representing good value for money.”
