Chelsea are ‘still scouting’ Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone ahead of the summer window, journalist Simon Phillips has informed GIVEMESPORT.
The 21-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga outfit in recent weeks and could become the latest star to join Todd Boehly’s revolution at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea transfer news – Manu Kone
Reliable SportBild reporter Christian Falk has claimed that Kone was a ‘big fan of Didier Drogba’ hence why he has been speaking about a potential move to Chelsea of late.
“Kone brought up Chelsea because he was a big fan of Didier Drogba, which explains his fascination with the London-based club,” wrote Falk in his CaughtOffside column.
“There’s nothing concrete at the moment, but you see that he’s potentially going to leave in the summer. He’s already talking openly about new clubs and you see he’s interested in England, and there are many clubs that would be on the table. With Chelsea, he’s put another one himself in.”
Kone is said to be valued at around £26.6 million and still has two and a half years left to run on his current contract, with Monchengladbach having the option to extend his stay by a further year.
Meanwhile, the likes of Liverpool, Read Madrid, and Newcastle United have also been credited with an interest in the France Under-21 international.
What has Phillips said about Kone?
Phillips has disclosed that he was told about Chelsea’s interest in Kone back in January before they brought in Enzo Fernandez for a British-record fee.
In an interview with GMS, he said: “Chelsea really like Kone, I was told about him in January.
“He was one that Chelsea were looking at before they signed Enzo Fernandez and got that over the line, and they’re still scouting him, I’ve checked in on that.”
How well has Kone been playing?
Kone is not the sort of player who grabs the headlines with goals and assists, but his underlying numbers indicate why he is so highly regarded.
As per FBref, the 6 foot 1 ace has ranked in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and the 86th for tackles amongst his positional peers over the last year.
And Kone has also averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.8 dribbles per league game this season, bettering the tallies of his teammates in both metrics, as per WhoScored.
It’s clear that Kone is adept at dispossessing opponents being driving forwards with the ball at his feet, qualities which could come in very handy for Chelsea should he make the switch.
