Chelsea have a shortlist of midfielders ahead of the summer window and Kouadio Kone is ‘quite high on that list’, says journalist Simon Phillips, speaking to GIVEMESPORT.
Chelsea have splashed the cash over the last two transfer windows, but they don’t look like stopping there.
Chelsea transfer news – Kouadio Kone
Kone is one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe at the moment, with PSG showing an interest in the midfielder and Newcastle having a £31m bid rejected last summer.
Kone’s asking price is now believed to be £27m as Borussia Monchengladbach look to rebuild in the summer.
With Kone’s contract expiring in 2025 and Monchengladbach having the option to extend his deal by a further year, as per Transfermarkt, the German club are under no pressure to sell the young midfielder, despite the heavy interest.
Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Kone, and the 21-year-old has recently confessed that he supported the west London club from a young age.
He said: “And Chelsea, because that’s where Didier Drogba was. Those were my idols!”
If Kone becomes available in the summer transfer window it looks set to be a competitive race to secure his signature.
It could be difficult for Kone to break into the Chelsea side if he was to make the move to Stamford Bridge, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek among a host of midfielders already at the club.
What has Phillips said about Kone?
When asked whether Chelsea remain interested in signing Kone, Phillips confirmed that he was one of many midfielders being considered ahead of the summer.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Chelsea still like the player, they’re still looking at him. They feel he could be a good partner for Fernandez and a long-term replacement for Kante.
“He’s certainly one of the options on the list that Chelsea are looking at now for the summer. There’s a shortlist of midfielders and Kone is quite high on that list.”
How has Kone performed this season?
Kone has played more minutes in the Bundesliga than any other Monchengladbach player this season, despite being just 21 years old, as per FBref.
To be so heavily relied upon at such a young age says a lot about the talent that Kone possesses.
Before their difficult away clash against RB Leipzig, the French youth international had managed 129 progressive passes this season, the sixth-best in the league.
Despite the impressive, positive passing statistics, Kone is also capable of breaking up play. Only Jude Bellingham had won more duels ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
