Manchester United reportedly plan to continue their summer spending by bringing in a highly-rated youngster
General view of Old Trafford ahead of Manchester United vs Bournemouth in December 2023.(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United are reportedly hoping to continue their summer spending by bringing in a highly-rated young midfielder next.
United have already signed forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and defender Leny Yoro from Lille in what was always expected to be a busy window for the Red Devils after Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group assumed control of football operations in February.
The Old Trafford outfit have also been linked with a number of other high-profile players, including Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz and Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan international Manuel Ugarte.
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But one of INEOS' strategies will see a fresh focus on the recruitment of young talent and United have been tipped to move for highly-rated defensive midfielder Sekou Koné.
The 18-year-old plays in Mali with Guidars FC, but impressed for his national team in the Under-17 World Cup late last year.
According to German outlet Frankfurter Rundschau, United are one of several Premier League clubs interested in the midfielder.
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Sekou Koné in action for Mali against Argentina at the Under-17 World Cup in December 2023. (Image credit: Getty Images)
The report claims Crystal Palace and Wolves are also interested in Koné, who has been described as a "hidden gem" by a scouting video on YouTube following his impressive displays for Mali at the U-17 World Cup.
Koné has "good tackling, excellent anticipation, a lot of pace and good passing," according to Frankfurter Runschau. He would reportedly be available for somewhere between €1.5 million and €2m.
In FourFourTwo's view, Koné looks like a good prospect and this is exactly the kind of move which fits in with United's two-tier strategy. Whether he is good enough or not for the first team in future, the reasonable asking price makes this a low-risk move for the Red Devils.
Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
