Kouadio Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach, 2022.
Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone, who is reportedly a target for Liverpool, could be available for a lower price than expected in January.
Jurgen Klopp seriously considered bringing in the talented 22-year-old as a replacement for Fabinho or Jordan Henderson, but a move never materialised.
Liverpool ultimately decided to sign Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch instead, but Kone is still a player that the Merseyside club admire, so they could come in for him when the transfer window re-opens.
Kone signed for Borussia Monchengladbach in January 2021 and has become one of the Bundesliga side’s most important players.
The France under-21s international has made 60 appearances for Monchengladbach so far, scoring four goals and making two assists in the process.
A versatile player, Kone has the ability to play as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder. Monchengladbach sporting director Roland Virkus has previously described him as “tough and intelligence” and says he can bring balance to any midfield.
It now seems that Liverpool could sign the Frenchman for a much lower fee than initially anticipated, but face competition for his signature.
Liverpool learn surprisingly low Kone price tag
According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, an offer of just €25m (approx. £21.5m) could be enough to ‘convince’ Monchengladbach to sell Kone in January.
This is a huge drop compared to the €45m the German side were looking for this summer.
The report notes that Liverpool have been scouting Kone ‘for some time.’ However, Juventus also hold a concrete interest in the midfielder, so we could see a battle for his services take place in the new year.
In fact, Juventus are said to have ‘already enquired’ about signing Kone in January. This is because Paul Pogba is currently under investigation for alleged doping breaches, and faces a period on the sidelines.
Therefore, Liverpool will have to move quickly if they want to sign their long-term target.
Kone could provide competition for the likes of Endo, Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and others if he does make the switch to Anfield.
As mentioned, Klopp is thought to be a huge fan of his, too. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool do make a concrete bid for Kone when the transfer window re-opens.