Manu Koné

Koné: Romano says Arsenal are not targeting him, the story collapses

Arsenal have reached an in-principle agreement on personal terms with Manu Koné (25, France international defensive midfielder, part of Deschamps' 2026 World Cup squad). The dossier now hinges on a club-to-club fee: Roma, under financial fair play pressure, reportedly want around €45-50m, while Arsenal's initial approach was pitched closer to €40m (ESPN). Andrea Berta sees him as a midfield-reinforcement target — a stated summer priority — alongside the Bruno Guimarães dossier.

Latest development

Nothing has changed fundamentally since mid-July: Arsenal have settled personal terms with the player, the club-to-club agreement is still missing. The new element in early August is the price gap, which several Italian and English outlets now put at around €45-50m, down from the €55m asked in July. What is established: Arsenal's interest, the player's wish to move to the Premier League or PSG, and the agreement on personal terms. What is not: no formal Arsenal bid has been confirmed by a top-tier source, and Roma are waiting for Arsenal to move. Bruno Guimarães's arrival obviously reframes the whole thing: Arsenal have already put £75m into midfield this summer. **UPDATE Aug 14**: top-tier denial. Romano says Arsenal are not pursuing Koné and that he is not seen as a target. The whole story rested on aggregators recycling each other, while the same outlets reported personal terms agreed with MANCHESTER UNITED.