Roma relief as Manchester United turn to Brighton midfielder instead of Kone | OneFootball

Reports in the UK claim that Manchester United are closing in on the signing of midfielder Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion and outlets in Italy suggest that this is a relief for Roma and a boost to their hopes of keeping hold of Manu Kone.

Could Baleba keep Kone at Roma?

Manchester United had been strongly linked with a move for Kone, who has been a mainstay in the Giallorossi midfield over the last two seasons and impressed with his performances for France at the 2026 World Cup.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 30: Manu Kone #6 of France inspects the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Despite the initial interest in Kone, United have already secured deals for Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea, and now according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, they have now offered €70m (£60m) plus bonuses in an attempt to sign Baleba from Brighton.

If the Baleba deal goes ahead at these figures, United will have already spent just shy of €170m on the signing of three new central midfielders, which makes another significant investment on Roma’s Kone highly unlikely at this stage of the window.

Recent reports claim that Roma are seeking a fee in the region of €60m if they do have to part company with Kone this summer. As things stand, though, there have not been any reports of concrete interest from any other club in Europe.