Liverpool want Manu Kone and the midfielder is now expected to leave Borussia Monchengladbach for the Premier League.
The Reds clearly need new midfielders this summer, at least two and arguably more.
A host of names have already been linked and we can only imagine that many more rumours will emerge in the coming months.
One player seemingly on the radar at Anfield is Borussia Monchengladbach star Manu Kone.
This rumour first emerged back in August as Sky Sports reported that Liverpool were eyeing up Kone for 2023.
Bild’s Christian Falk now tells Caught Offside that Kone is ‘very close’ to going to the Premier League this summer.
Falk states that Liverpool are right in the race for Kone but a move for him depends on the pursuit of Jude Bellingham.
The German adds that €50million is the dream fee for Gladbach and they already accept that he is leaving this summer.
“Manu Koné has a contract until 2025 with an option until 2026. That being said, Gladbach sees no chance of the player staying at the moment,” said Falk. “They would say €50m would be brilliant for the player, €30m would be the beginning of the transfer poker.”
“There’s also Liverpool in the race, though that depends how things develop with the Bellingham poker. Koné is one of the jewels of the Bundesliga, one of the most interesting transfer options this summer, and he’s very close to going to the Premier League. Gladbach are losing a lot of players and he will be one of them,” he added.
Who is Liverpool target Manu Kone?
Kone spent time with Paris FC and Boulogne-Billancourt before joining the Toulouse ranks as a teenager.
Kone emerged into the first team in 2019 and showed immense potential to earn his 2021 switch to Gladbach.
The 21-year-old has continued to shine in the Bundesliga, proving himself to be a quality box-to-box midfield player.
Kone has outstanding dribbling ability in the middle of the park as well as the aggressive streak to break up play in front of the back four.
The midfielder is seventh for completed dribbles in the Bundesliga this season, behind only Bellingham, Jeremie Frimpong, Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sane, Randal Kolo Muani and Jamal Musiala.
Only three Bundesliga players have recorded more tackles than Kone this season too, showing his ability both going forward and defensively.
A France Under-21 midfielder, Kone has been hailed as for ‘shooting genius’ by Gladbach boss Daniel Farke, who praised a ‘world-class’ performance against Bayern Munich.
Kone is now a name for Liverpool fans to keep close tabs on ahead of the summer window, possibly as a Bellingham alternative.
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