Arsenal appear to have agreed personal terms to sign a new midfielder after cooling interest in West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Roma midfielder Manu Kone, putting two other potential transfers into doubt. Mikel Arteta is expected to be backed with major signings this summer as the club look to retain the Premier League title next season.
Kone has impressed in Italy since joining Roma for £15.5million, initially on loan in 2024. He made 34 appearances last season, helping the club finish third in Serie A, and earned a call‑up to the France squad for the World Cup.
According to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, Arsenal have already held talks with the midfielder’s representatives and agreed personal terms over a move after the World Cup. The next step is to negotiate a fee with Roma, who value him at £43million.
However, the report adds that the Italian side could accept a £39m (€45m) fee, with Roma understood to need to sell players before the end of the month, which could help facilitate a deal.
Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan had also shown interest, but Arsenal now appear to have moved to the front of the queue.
A number of midfielders have been linked with the north London club, including Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, admirers of the hierarchy. In recent days Arsenal cooled their interest in Fernandes – who has been touted as a potential reinforcement for Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Tonali could yet move to Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham after talks with the player’s camp.
Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi is understood to view the Italian as the ‘ideal’ signing to help lift the club up the Premier League table following back‑to‑back relegation scares.
By opting to push ahead with a move for Kone, Arsenal supporters may get the chance to see him in contention for France’s opener against Senegal on Tuesday night (8pm).
Aware of the possibility he could attract interest during the tournament, Koné dismissed the speculation over his future, saying: “Honestly, right now I’m only thinking about the World Cup. It’s my first major international competition, a tournament I’ve always dreamed of playing in.
“I want to remain exclusively focused on this. We’ll talk about the future after the World Cup and see what happens.”
Kone began his senior career at Toulouse before joining Borussia Monchengladbach, where he spent four seasons, before eventually moving to Roma in 2024. He currently has 14 caps for France.
In addition to Kone, Arsenal are believed to be considering other midfield targets, including Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi.
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