Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd to sign 'next Aurelien Tchouameni' as PSG admit defeat in transfer pursuit

TEN HAG GOES AFTER BUNDESLIGA ENFORCER

Man Utd have a great chance at landing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone after PSG came to the decision they will not be bidding for him, according to one journalist.

The 21-year-old, who is commonly known as Manu Kone, has emerged into one of Gladbach's most important players this season. He has played in all but one of their Bundesliga games and only missed that match due to a yellow card suspension.

No player has managed more minutes in the league for Gladbach this term than Kone. And he is proving to be a hugely effective screen for the defence, having registered more tackles per game than any of his team-mates (2.6 on average, as per Whoscored).

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag can already utilise Casemiro as his main defensive midfielder. But with the Brazilian now 31 years of age, he could hang up his boots after a few more seasons at Old Trafford. Therefore, it would make sense for the Red Devils to sign Kone as his long-term successor.

On Monday, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Man Utd, Chelsea and PSG are the main clubs vying for Kone's services.

All three teams are looking to add a new midfielder to their ranks this summer and have landed on the France U21 international as a great potential capture.

Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson has now given Man Utd and Chelsea a significant lift by revealing that PSG are unlikely to make an offer for Kone later this year, which means he will probably be playing in the Premier League next season. And it is Man Utd who will be most confident about signing the player, given the fact they are far more likely to qualify for next season's Champions League than Chelsea.

Johnson added that Kone can be compared to Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni, although he still has some more developing to do before he can be considered one of the top midfielders in Europe.

Man Utd target 'a fine young player'

"Manu Kone is a fine young player who's making the headlines a bit more recently, with links to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea," Johnson wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.

"In terms of rumoured interest from PSG, however, it's hard to see them having a major overhaul of their squad this summer and being able to pay the kind of money that would be needed for a signing like Kone. He's obviously a very talented young French footballer and it makes sense that he'd be of interest to PSG, especially as he's on the verge of breaking through internationally as well.

"Still, as long as the contract situations of Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi remain unresolved ahead of the summer, it's hard to see PSG winning the race for Kone, and it's difficult to see them doing much else with their squad.

"I think PSG would be the only ones who could bring him back to Ligue 1, but there are plenty of other big teams looking for midfielders.

"Manchester United seem to be one of those, having been linked with both Kone and Enzo Le Fee, who plays for Lorient and is another impressive talent who I expect to be of interest to a number of big clubs right now.

"There'll be the temptation to draw comparisons with someone like Aurelien Tchouameni, who made the big move from Monaco to Real Madrid last year, but to be honest I don't see Kone being ready to make quite that same jump right now. That's no disrespect to Kone or the level at Borussia Monchengladbach, but he's not quite where Tchouameni was with Monaco when he then made the move to Madrid.

"Still, that's not to say there won't be big clubs interested in him. We know Chelsea are targeting the talents of tomorrow, so to speak, so he could appeal to them. Gladbach also seem to be coming to end of a cycle, and are facing losing Marcus Thuram for nothing, so they'll need to bring in some money from somewhere else, so Kone seems a logical choice given the clubs looking at him at this moment in time."

Johnson continued: "My personal opinion is that he's not quite ready to join the European elite like Tchouameni was, but that could also mean Chelsea is a logical next step for him because if you look at how their season is going, Champions League qualification looks unlikely, so it could be the right sort of project for him to start with."

With PSG now out of the picture, Kone will be able to choose between Man Utd and Chelsea in the summer. While Johnson recommends he goes to Stamford Bridge, a move to Man Utd could make more sense due to their extra games thanks to UCL qualification, plus the fact Ten Hag has less players in his squad.

SON HEUNG-MIN EYED BY LA LIGA TITANS

Barcelona are desperate to sign a world-class left winger and have identified Tottenham's Son Heung-min as an ideal player to fill that role. (Catalunya Radio)

Son could follow Harry Kane out of Tottenham as the club's all-time leading scorer will likely be targeted by Man Utd this summer.

Chelsea flop Romelu Lukaku is willing to seriously reduce his wages in order to join loan club Inter Milan on a permanent basis. (Tuttosport)

West Ham and Everton are interested in signing Senegal centre-forward Boulaye Dia. He has scored 10 times in 24 games while on loan at Serie A outfit Salernitana from Villarreal. (Corriere dello Sport)

PSG are keeping tabs on William Saliba's performances at Arsenal, although the centre-back is unlikely to leave the Emirates any time soon. (Jonathan Johnson)

Barca president Joan Laporta is 'crazy' about re-signing club legend Lionel Messi. (Mundo Deportivo)

MAN CITY PLOT MOVE FOR INTER ACE

Man City and Chelsea are closely monitoring Alessandro Bastoni's situation at Inter. The defender has been offered a new contract by Inter but it does not meet his wage demands. (Calciomercato)

Arsenal, Newcastle and Real Madrid have all had to deal with fake agents pretending to represent Celta Vigo starlet Gabri Veiga. (Diario AS)

Spurs forward Richarlison has denied claims he led a 'mutiny' against sacked head coach Antonio Conte. (various)

Former Man Utd centre-half Chris Smalling has held a meeting with Roma chiefs about extending his deal at the Stadio Olimpico. The talks went 'positively'. (Calciomercato)

Juventus have activated their purchase option for Everton outcast Moise Kean. Sean Dyche's side will receive around £25m for the player's sale. (Fabrizio Romano)

Man Utd are the current favourites to snare winger Ansu Fati from Barca, after his father complained about Xavi not playing him. (Sport)

SPURS BRACED FOR MANAGER REJECTION

Two of Spurs' main managerial targets, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino, would rather take over at Real Madrid if Carlo Ancelotti leaves the Bernabeu. (90Min)

Arsenal will not face competition from Bayern Munich for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. (Florian Plettenberg)

Barca are confident about Ousmane Dembele renewing his contract with them, despite the club pushing his new deal further down the priority list. (Mundo Deportivo)

Chelsea will struggle to get £70m for Mason Mount amid Liverpool's interest in the 24-year-old. There is also a 'small chance' Mount could remain at Chelsea. (Fabrizio Romano)

Inter are keen on signing USA international forward Haji Wright from Antalyaspor. (Tuttomercatoweb)