Replacement for suspended Pogba?
Manu Koné was already considered a candidate for sale at Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer before a knee injury suffered at the U21 European Championships took the central midfielder out of the running. In winter, interested parties for the 22-year-old are likely to come knocking at the “Foals” again, according to the French daily newspaper “L’Equipe“Both Juventus Turin and the currently weak champions SSC Napoli have positioned themselves.
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| M. Koné |
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Juventus has been examining the feasibility of an offer for Koné for several months. The decision-makers of the Serie A runners-up, who are looking for a midfielder to compensate in particular for the absence of Paul Pogba, who is temporarily banned for doping, are said to be impressed by the Frenchman’s creativity.
Gladbach is expected to charge 35 million euros as a cost, which corresponds to the current market value of the right-footer, who still has a contract until 2026. For the Bundesliga twelfth, this transfer fee would be the second highest in the ranking of record departures. In the case of the “Old Lady”, however, the sum is classified as “high” and a “big obstacle”, which is why no offer has been made to the Gladbachers yet; in contrast, the player has already been approached. In addition to Koné, Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips, who plays virtually no role under Pep Guardiola, was recently traded to the Bianconeri.
From 8 to 45 million: The most expensive departures from Borussia Mönchengladbach
Napoli wants to step up in the winter – Chotard is considered Koné’s successor in Gladbach
The Turin team faces competition in the courtship of Koné from Napoli, who, after a chaotic first half of the season with seventh place in the table, are determined to strengthen themselves in several positions in the winter: in defense, but also in midfield. In this context, contacts are said to have been made with Koné, the most valuable Gladbacher.
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 | M. Koné |
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Central midfield | ||||||||||
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But the “foals” have not been idle in the last few months and have already been looking in the background for candidates to succeed Koné. Latest reports suggest Montpellier HSC’s Joris Chotard is a top option. Like Koné, Chotard is 22 years old and trained as a professional in Montpellier. The defensive midfielder has been a member of the first team squad since 2019 and played 146 games in which he scored two goals and provided ten assists.
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