Because of Enzo and City: Chelsea deal a blow to Real Madrid
Madrid monitors the player
Chelsea have moved closer to dealing a heavy blow to Real Madrid's future plans in the transfer market, closing in on a deal for France midfielder Manu Koné of Roma. He is set to replace Argentina's Enzo Fernández, who is himself close to a move to Manchester City.
According to Sky Sports, the London club are now close to agreeing a fee of around £52 million with Roma for Koné. The deal runs alongside their ongoing talks with Manchester City over the sale of Enzo Fernández.
Chelsea see the France international as the ideal man to fill the gap left by Enzo, who is poised to join City for a fee of around £140 million. As part of the negotiations, the two clubs are also discussing a loan move for England winger Jamie Gittens to Roma.
This isn't just significant for Chelsea. It lands as a blow to Real Madrid, who rate Koné among their leading targets to strengthen their midfield in the future.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Real Madrid's scouts have tracked the Frenchman for some time and watched him in person for Roma, after he made their shortlist of players tipped to bolster the midfield in upcoming windows.
The newspaper added that the Spanish club's board had settled on not concluding any new deals during the current mercato. They kept the Koné file open for the future, wary that Premier League clubs could swoop, which is exactly what is now happening with Chelsea.
At 25, Koné is tied to Roma until the summer of 2029. He ranks among the leading defensive midfielders in Europe, thanks to his strength in the tackle and in duels, his intelligence in pressing and his accuracy in possession, with a passing success rate of 90% in Serie A last season.
His stock rose further after strong performances with France at the 2026 World Cup, when he covered for the absent Aurélien Tchouaméni and delivered striking displays against Iraq, Norway, Paraguay and Morocco.
Complete the deal and Chelsea would knock one of Real Madrid's leading future targets out of their calculations. It could yet prove one of the biggest surprises of the summer's final hours.
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