Manchester United are set to complete the signing of 18-year-old midfielder Sekou Kone within the next day, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. The Italian transfer expert says a deal to bring in the young Malian talent will be finalised as the Red Devils have “signed all documents” to get official approval for the transfer.
Manchester United Bring in Another Young Talent
Kone got rave reviews for how he played for Mali in the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia last year. While Germany ended up winning the tournament, the African team surprised everyone as they stood out against the top countries in the world, landing in 3rd place with a big 3-0 win over Argentina. Kone, playing in the middle of Mali’s midfield, was both the actual and symbolic core of the team.
This caught the eye of several top European clubs, but it looks like Manchester United got to him first. German journalist, Christofer, Michel says United’s scouting team has been keeping a close watch on the 18-year-old for a while now. They started this even before INEOS took charge of football operations at Old Trafford in February.
United’s new decision-makers have tried to bring down the average age of Erik ten Hag’s squad. They have added another young player to join recruits, including Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee. But Kone will start with United’s U21 team, at least for the beginning of the 2024/25 season. This will help him adjust to life in England and the Premier League.
Kone is taking a similar path to Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma. Bissouma also trained at the JMG academy in Bamako before making his way to north London.
As Kone settles into the youth squad, United have also brought in Ugarte from PSG and are finalising his transfer. He is likely to vie with Casemiro for a spot on the team next to Kobbie Mainoo. For now, Kone will have to wait for his chance as a potential star for the future.
Old Trafford might see a flurry of activities in the last few days before Friday’s transfer deadline. The club continues to negotiate the sale of Jadon Sancho, who wants to leave, with Juventus and Chelsea showing interest.
Enzo Maresca’s team wants to bring the £72m player to Stamford Bridge. They might even offer Raheem Sterling or Ben Chilwell in exchange.
Scott McTominay is in Italy right now to wrap up his transfer to Antonio Conte’s Napoli. This move has cleared the path for Ugarte to sign with United instead of on loan. The Red Devils know two midfielders are coming in. The new INEOS bosses will give Kone the time he needs to grow. They are fine with an Ugarte-Mainoo duo for now, believing they have a promising young talent on their hands.
How Much Will the Youngster Cost?
The exact amount of the transfer fee is unclear as of now. Reports suggest they will pay about £1.2m for the player. He is likely to join the club’s youth squad.
This marks another notable young signing for the Red Devils coming after they brought in high-scoring forward Chido Obi Martin from their Premier League rivals, Arsenal. Both the new arrivals will start with Manchester United’s youth teams but might get occasional chances with the first team.
Kone is set to become the 13th African soccer player to play for Manchester United if he steps onto the field for the first team. He will join the likes of Andre Onana from Cameroon, Amad Diallo from Ivory Coast, and Noussair Mazraoui from Morocco in the current squad.
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