Manchester United agree £45m fee for Roma's Manu Kone as Joao Gomes heads to Aston Villa

Manchester United have agreed a £45m fee to sign Roma midfielder Manu Kone, according to former United captain Rio Ferdinand, who cited transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano as his source. The deal would make Kone the third midfielder to join the club in under a week, following the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos.

Kone, a French international, caught the eye during the ongoing World Cup 2026, with his performances accelerating United’s pursuit. Ferdinand confirmed the agreement via his YouTube channel, quoting Romano directly: “Fabrizio Romano just confirmed that Man Utd have agreed a £45m fee for Kone from Roma, the French international midfielder.”

The move comes as manager Michael Carrick oversees a rapid overhaul of United’s midfield in his first summer in charge at Old Trafford. Tielemans arrived from Aston Villa for £35m, while Santos has also been unveiled, giving the club a significantly reshaped engine room ahead of the new Premier League season.

Elsewhere, Joao Gomes appears to have slipped through United’s fingers, with Aston Villa moving swiftly to secure the Wolves midfielder. Villa are reported to have agreed a £35m fee — the same figure they received for Tielemans — with Gomes understood to have left Wolves’ training camp ahead of a medical scheduled for Friday.

The 25-year-old Brazilian had previously been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, but those negotiations collapsed following a dispute involving agent Jorge Mendes. Villa, who lost Amadou Onana to a serious injury at the World Cup, moved quickly to reinvest the Tielemans proceeds and shore up their midfield depth under Unai Emery.

United’s squad is set to play its first pre-season fixture on Saturday, meaning Carrick’s new-look side will soon get their first opportunity to show what the summer business can produce on the pitch.