West Ham United have made Liverpool target and Borussia Monchengladbach ace Manu Kone their number one target as the Premier League strugglers to look to bring midfield reinforcements, according to German publication Sport BILD.
Last month, ‘Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus insisted that Kone, if he was to leave Borussia Park in the near future, should set his sights on a club ‘significantly better’ than a side currently sitting ninth in the Bundesliga.
Do West Ham really tick that particular box? Kone would undoubtedly receive a sizeable pay rise at the London Stadium, while earning the opportunity to make a name for himself in Europe’s most high-profile domestic league.
But, on the other hand, David Moyes’ side are just four points off the bottom of the table. They have lost eight out of 14 games, and, after challenging for the Champions League during the last few years, appear to have taken a big step backwards in recent times.
West Ham United want Manu Kone from Borussia Monchengladbach
According to BILD, West Ham have made Kone their top target, having scouted the all-action Frenchman on several occasions. Whether the 21-year-old midfielder is as keen on West Ham as they are on him, however, remains to be seen; especially with the likes of Liverpool (Sky Sports) big admirers of the one-time Toulouse starlet.
An up-and-coming Newcastle United side are also in the race (L’Equipe)
“I’d be lying if I said we would never sell him,” says Virkus. “There have already been inquiries for Manu. The boy must want to take his next step to a club that is significantly bigger than Gladbach. And we also have to be satisfied (with the offer).”
Kone, BILD say, will be sold next summer. Gladbach are holding out for £39 million; a fee that would make the one-time Leeds target their most expensive ever export, overtaking Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka.
“He is strong technically and has a great personality,” former Borussia coach Adi Hutter says of Kone; a stylish yet powerful central midfielder. One who has drawn comparisons with Paul Pogba due to his balletic footwork and rangy frame.
Kone would, in theory, replace the out-of-sorts Tomas Soucek in Moyes’ starting XI at West Ham; forming a potentially exhilarating midfield partnership with Declan Rice in claret-and-blue.
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