Carlos Baleba's camp have contacted Manchester United to explore their interest in signing the Brighton midfielder this summer.
Manchester United have tracked the progress of Baleba across his three seasons in thePremier League and explored a deal to sign the 22-year-old 12 months ago.
The Cameroon international endured a mixed campaign at Brighton last season, though remains well-regarded at Old Trafford.
Manchester United remain keen to sign a defensive midfielder before the closure of the transfer window, having already addedYouri Tielemans and Andrey Santos to their midfield group.
AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone and Baleba are both under consideration, with the latter now attempting to engineer his own move.

#midfielder #brighton #baleba #cameroon

In a recent report, Sky Sports mentioned that Manchester United are keeping tabs on AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone. It has been stated that the Red Devils have identified the French talent as a target for this summer transfer window.
Kone enjoyed a decent run of form at the Italian club after he put in a series of impressive displays for them at the centre of the park. The 25-year-old scored two times and secured three ******* ists in 37 appearances for AS Roma last season in multiple competitions.
The French talent is currently one of the best central midfielders in Serie A. Hence, the Red Devils would do well to lure him to Old Trafford in this transfer window.
His current contract at the Italian club will expire in the summer of 2029, which could make it difficult for Man United to sign him on a cut-price fee this off-season.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 26: Manu Kone #6 of France is challenged by Patrick Berg #6 of Norway during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Norway and France at Boston Stadium on June 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

#kone #united #foxborough #june

By
July 22, 2026 8:27 am ET
Listen
(2 min)
Finnish elevator and escalator maker Kone KNEBV 1.84%
increase; up pointing triangle
backed full-year guidance despite booking hefty costs related to its planned acquisition of German rival TK Elevator as well as restructuring measures.

#july

Real Madrid open to selling Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United, ******* nal eye John Stones and Ezri Konsa, Chelsea favourites for Kerim Alajbegovic, Yan Diomande back on radar of Premier League clubs and Daizen Maeda set for Ipswich Town move.
La Liga giants Real Madrid are open to selling 26-year-old France defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United. (Sun)
AS Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone, 25, and Brighton's 22-year-old Cameroon international Carlos Baleba are also being considered by Manchester United as they aim to strengthen their midfield. (Sky Sports)
Bournemouth's 27-year-old United States midfielder Tyler Adams, valued at about £35m, is also an option for Michael Carrick's side. (Mail)
Former Manchester City defender John Stones, 32, and 28-year-old Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa are among ******* nal targets as the Gunners turn to the England duo after an injury to France defender William Saliba, 25. (Sky Sports)

#midfielder #arsenal

Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle with Manu Kone’s representatives over personal terms, per Corriere dello Sport.
The Red Devils have completed the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.
But they want to add a third midfielder to the squad after Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte sustaining a long-term injury at the World Cup.
United have agreed personal terms with Kone and they are ready to submit a €50 million transfer bid.
However, that may not be enough for Roma, who are reportedly demanding a fee around €60m.

#manu #corriere #sport

USC baseball, during an offseason in which they’ve lost a handful of key players to the transfer portal and MLB Draft, are now losing a coach.
Assistant coach Travis Jewett is set to leave the program to join Vanderbilt as the Director of Player Strategy/Personnel. Jewett previously spent time with Vanderbilt as an **** istant coach from 2013-16.
Jewett had been with the Trojans since 2022, when he came on as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the program, and helped create one of the best USC teams in recent memory.
Through Jewett and head coach Andy Stankiewicz, the Trojans transformed into a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. They had a fantastic season in 2026, coming within just two outs of their first College World Series Berth since 2001.
USC finished the year with a 48-18 record, claiming first in the Big Ten with a 20-10 record. They only lost one game at home over the course of the season, posting a 32-1 record.

#coach #Trojans #lost

Al-Ahli's interest in Manu Kone has been confirmed, but the Saudi club face significant hurdles before any move for the Roma midfielder can take shape.
According to Gianluigi Longari, as relayed by AlfredoPedullà.com, Al-Ahli have Kone on their list alongside Idrissa Gueye, but they must first offload Enzo Millot before adding to their midfield. That outgoing is described as a non-negotiable precondition for any incoming business.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 22: Manu Kone #6 of France and Youssef Amyn #7 of Iraq compete for the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between France and Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium on June 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Even with that resolved, two further steps would remain. A negotiation with Roma would have to begin from scratch, and Kone himself would need to open the door to a switch to Saudi Arabia, no small consideration for a France international who has been the subject of Premier League interest this summer.
Manchester United emerged as suitors earlier in the window, turning to the Frenchman after their agreed deal for Atalanta's Ederson collapsed, with Roma reportedly open to a sale at around €50 million as they look to balance the books under UEFA scrutiny.

#philadelphia

Manchester United's pursuit of AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone may have taken a complicated turn. The Red Devils endured a slow start to the summer but have picked up the pace in recent days.
With the midfield a priority following Casemiro's exit, INEOS have already signed Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. The English giants have also secured the services of Karl Darlow on a free transfer to bolster their goalkeeping department.
While Santos and Tielemans could prove to be shrewd acquisitions and should add quality to the middle of the park, United remain on the hunt for a third midfielder. The Red Devils need more steel and tenacity in midfield and are understandably looking at defensive midfielders.
Several candidates remain linked with the Premier League giants, including Kone, who has impressed for both club and country of late.
Kone spent his formative years at several clubs before arriving at Toulouse in 2016. He earned his senior debut with the club from southern France, before moving to Borussia Monchengladbach in 2021.

Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot's 2026 World Cup journey with France has come to an end at the semi-final stage, as Les Bleus were defeated 2–0 by Spain in Dallas. Maignan played the full 90 minutes, beaten in the first half by an Oyarzabal penalty and in the second by Pedro Porro; Rabiot played 45 minutes before being replaced by Koné at half time. France will still play one more match in the tournament: the third-place playoff against either England or Argentina.
Match kits, clothing, accessories, gift ideas and much more: visit the AC Milan online Store!

Martin Priestley/Getty Images
European dealmaking was more durable than its global counterparts in the second quarter of this year, holding up amid a wave of geopolitical uncertainty that hit other major markets much harder.
European M&A value fell 6.4% QoQ in Q2 to $344 billion, a shallower decline than the 24.3% drop recorded in North America, according to PitchBook's Q2 2026 Global M&A Report. Deal count moved in the opposite direction, up 0.9% in Europe to 5,061, even as it fell an estimated 7.3% in North America.
The resilience has been building for a year, as both sponsors and corporate acquirers have increasingly targeted Europe in search of higher returns. The region's fragmentation, need for localized expertise, and lower entry multiples than North America have made it an attractive hunting ground. At the same time, large family-owned businesses based in countries such as Italy and Spain remain largely untapped by PE.
That resilience showed up most clearly in B2B, Europe's strongest sector of the quarter, where deal value rose 35.6% quarter-over-quarter to $129 billion. Two megadeals accounted for roughly a third of the region's B2B deal value: Finnish elevator maker Kone, together with existing investors Advent International and Cinven, agreed to buy German rival TK Elevator for $34.3 billion in April, while EQT agreed to take product-testing firm Intertek private for $14.6 billion at a 62% premium to its listed shares in June.

As we enter the business end of the 2026 World Cup with only four nations remaining, the first of the semi-final ties sees France take on Spain. Both powerhouses of the European game were rightfully amongst the bookies' favourites before the tournament got going.
France have been arguably the standard setters in the World Cup to date, blending defensive solidity with high-octane attacking football. Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano has been one of their shining lights alongside William Saliba in the back four.
Moving into the middle third, former Borussia Mönchengladbach talent Manu Koné has deputised for Aurelien Tchouameni. Bayern Munich's Michael Olise continues to pull the strings from a central position, while ex-BVB star Ousmane Dembélé compliments Kylian Mbappé nicely.
Spain, by contrast, have been a fraction underwhelming in an attacking sense. Nonetheless, they continue to march forth with their strong defensive discipline proving to be the backbone of their success – they leaked their only goal to Belgium thus far.
Although their talisman Lamine Yamal has been quiet by his lofty standards, the winger showed signs of improvement in their quarter final success. Meanwhile, former Dortmund man Mikel Merino continues to deliver game-defining goals off the bench as of late.

Gian Piero Gasperini says that Manu Kone is ‘having a great World Cup’, and though he is aware of the fact that Roma still need to balance their budgets, he insists that there will be ‘more clarity’ surrounding the Manchester United target in the coming weeks.
Kone is enjoying a starring role with the France national team, who are among the favourites to go the distance at the 2026 World Cup.
As a result of his strong 2025-26 performances and his impressive audition on the world stage, the Giallorossi midfielder is beginning to attract interest from high-profile clubs across Europe, most recently Manchester United.
United have dropped a deal with Atalanta for Ederson, have arranged a deal for Andrey Santos from Chelsea and are in talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, but there is every chance that Michael Carrick looks to add a third option to a midfield department that is lacking in numbers at Old Trafford.
When asked about Kone’s status in an interview with Radio Rai 1, Gasperini said: “Kone had a great first half of the season, and then was out of action due to injury for a bit during the second half.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke to Radio Anch'io Sport on the first day of Roma's preseason.
The Giallorossi manager touched upon several topics including Manu Kone and Donyell Malen's World Cup performances and their future.
"Malen? These guys play 12 months a year, not all of them arrived at the World Cup in top condition. It's not easy to consistently play at the highest level after a difficult and tiring season."
"Then again, players also reflect the value of their team. Malen reflects the Netherlands' performance; in the past, there had been this doubt about his position. He can play further out, but for me, never: he plays close to the goal."
"Kone? Unlike Malen, he was sidelined for a while due to injury and arrived at the World Cup in better shape. Last year, he hadn't played for France yet, and he managed to earn a starting spot, which shows his true worth."

Manchester United have numerous players on their list of targets for their midfield rebuild.
Youngster Cristian Orozco is scheduled to join the club soon from Fortaleza FC.
The club have also reached an agreement with Chelsea over the signing of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.
United have also recently been linked with options such as AFC Bournemouth's Alex Scott and LOSC Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Another player the club has been linked with lately is AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone.

Manchester United have all but completed a deal for Chelsea's Antony Santos after news of a move broke rapidly last week.
Nonetheless, their transfer market activity has been a frustrating experience so far.
After missing out on numerous targets such as French star Aurelien Tchouameni, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, Manchester United have had to move down their list.
The club is said to be keen on players like Joao Gomes, Alex Scott, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Manu Kone.
Manchester United had believed they had wrapped up a deal for the Brazilian in June when they agreed a fee with Atalanta before the World Cup.

Manchester United have added Manu Kone to their shortlist as they seek a third midfield signing this summer.
The Roma man is keen to test himself in the Premier League, and the Serie A club are willing to sell for the right price. That figure is understood to be around £50m.
Roma's willingness is rooted in necessity. Despite qualifying for the Champions League, the Italian club need player sales to satisfy UEFA's financial regulations. Kone is viewed internally as their most valuable saleable ******* et.
His profile fits what Michael Carrick needs. The 25-year-old operated as both a defensive midfielder and a box-to-box option across 37 appearances last season, contributing two goals and three ******* ists.
Patrick Vieira has described him as the best midfielder in France. The World Cup has only enhanced his standing.

Welcome back to Loose Feathers, where we catch you up on recent news and ***** ysis about the Baltimore Ravens. Let's get into the latest updates!
ESPN's Ben Solak named second-year cornerback Keyon Martin as his 2026 breakout candidate for the Ravens, a surprising inclusion among a group that included better-known names like Terry McLaurin and Nolan Smith. Solak admitted that Martin was "perhaps the deepest cut of this entire list" and noted his explosiveness before writing:
Martin is undersized for an NFL corner (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), but new coach Jesse Minter was comfortable playing smaller corners during his time as the Chargers' defensive coordinator. Quick eyes and even quicker feet in zone coverage are Minter's preferred traits, and Martin has those.
At his size, Martin likely can't play anything but the slot. The Ravens do love three-safety sets with Kyle Hamilton in the nickel, but when they want a quicker cover man, Martin has a chance to supplant Chidobe Awuzie as the third corner on the field, keeping Marlon Humphrey on the outside.
Martin impressed as an undrafted rookie last year and could benefit from the Ravens' infusion of secondary coaching talent, including Minter and defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens. However, the Ravens' cornerback room has gotten more crowded with the addition of fifth-round pick Chandler Rivers, a strong spring from 2025 UDFA Marquise Robinson, and returns from injury by 2025 Day 3 picks Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam.

Arsenal's midfield search has started to develop a familiar transfer-window rhythm, one premium target at the top of the list, one realistic alternative moving steadily into view. While Bruno Guimaraes remains the name that naturally grabs attention, the growing noise around a Manu Kone transfer feels significant, especially given how many elite clubs are circling.
According to TeamTalk, ******* nal are among the sides to have held talks with intermediaries over a possible move for the Roma midfielder. That matters because this does not read like idle admiration. It reads like groundwork.
The situation around Guimaraes explains plenty. ******* nal may admire the Newcastle captain, and reports suggest personal terms would not be a major obstacle, but the bigger issue is convincing Newcastle to sell after Sandro Tonali's £100 million departure to Tottenham Hotspur. That leaves ******* nal needing flexibility, and Kone looks like the sort of player recruitment departments keep close when the obvious deal becomes complicated.
Roma's position adds another layer. The Italian club are reportedly prepared to sell in order to satisfy UEFA financial regulations, and with Kone viewed as their most valuable ******* et, the asking price of around £50 million places him in an interesting bracket. Expensive, certainly, though still potentially attainable for a club trying to sharpen a ******* le-chasing squad without drifting into panic-buy territory.
What stands out here is that ******* nal are not alone. Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool have also been approached. When that calibre of competition gathers around a player, it usually tells its own story.

Manchester United's midfield could look very different in pre-season from what many would have expected a few weeks ago.
Earlier this week, United moved surprisingly quickly to secure the services of Andrey Santos from Chelsea. The Brazilian was not considered to be among the club's preferred targets at the start of the summer.
Furthermore, until very recently, a move for Ederson appeared to be all wrapped up after United struck an agreement with Atalanta before the World Cup. However, according to several reports in Italy, the Red Devils have decided not to go ahead.
Saturday's edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claims Manchester United are keen on AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone.
It is understood United have contacted the France international's agents in recent hours and are expected to make an offer to Roma. The Italian publication underline that Roma will not accept offers below €50 million.

Manu Koné is attracting the attention of Europe's top clubs at the World Cup.
The Roma midfielder delivered a top-notch performance in France's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco: recoveries, bursts of speed, and total control of the pitch.
Now Manchester United, **** nal, and Newcastle are keeping a close eye on the 2001-born player.
The Red Evils, after blocking negotiations for Ederson, suddenly causing the deal to fall through, can now aggressively turn to Manu Koné.
The English club has already sounded out the player's agents, so Roma is just waiting for an official offer.

PE dealmaking in Europe defied a shaky macroeconomic backdrop in the second quarter of this year, putting 2026 on pace for one of the strongest years in the market's history—with caveats attached.
In PitchBook's Q2 2026 European PE Breakdown, much of that headline strength is concentrated in a handful of very large transactions rather than broad-based momentum. Just 22 mega-exits accounted for 65.8% of the total exit value of €157.6 billion (about $180.1 billion) in Q2—well above the decade average.
Having recently returned from SuperReturn International in Berlin, one of Europe's largest PE conferences, our research team remains firmly convinced Europe is best placed to attract LP capital over the medium term.
The continent is fragmented, offers lower entry multiples than the US, and generates genuine alpha opportunities—and in an environment where value creation has replaced financial engineering, that's increasingly attractive.
Much of the exit concentration has been in Germany. Advent International and Cinven's €29.4 billion sale of TK Elevator to Finland's Kone, alongside the Nasdaq listing of Innio—a maker of power generation equipment backed by Advent and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority—pushed the country's exit value to a record high. Concentration of this kind can flatter the aggregate.

The French Football Federation have failed in their attempt to have the yellow card shown to Michael Olise during their World Cup round-of-16 win over Paraguay rescinded, France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Wednesday.
Olise was booked following an altercation with Paraguay's Matías Galarza, who went to ground after the French attacker grabbed his shirt.
France subsequently appealed to have the Bayern Munich star's yellow card overturned – similar to how the United States had Folarin Balogun's red card rescinded ahead of their 1-4 round-of-16 defeat to Belgium – but without success.
"The yellow card has not changed. We were informed by FIFA this morning that it has been upheld," Deschamps said ahead of his team's quarter-final against Morocco on Thursday.
Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné were also booked for France during the game against Paraguay, who did not receive a single yellow card despite their aggressive style of play.

With 12 minutes of normal time remaining Egypt stood on the cusp of their greatest ever World Cup result.
The Pharaohs led Argentina, the reigning world champions, 2-0 in Atlanta Stadium.
A quarter-final spot - their first - beckoned for the football-mad African country.
Then it went wrong. Horribly wrong.
When Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, it was a case of Egypt digging in. But they looked panic-stricken when captain Lionel Messi - who else? - made it 2-2 four minutes later.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the last 2026 World Cup match in Philadelphia, Paraguay played a style that has been seen many times before at the city's football stadium.
La Albirroja's physical approach in their 1-0 loss to France in the Round of 16 looked more like what might be seen on a Sunday in the fall from the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, who play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles coach Nick Siranni might have liked what he saw. Les Bleus sure didn't.
"I had never played a match like this, with so many hits," France midfielder Manu Koné said. "I mean, cheap shots, shoves in the back. So, yes, it was complicated."
Paraguay seemed to target star forward Kylian Mbappé, who converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute.

Roma midfielder Manu Koné starts for France with Milan pair Adrien Rabiot and Mike Maignan in the World Cup Round of 16 against Antonio Sanabria’s Paraguay.
It kicks off in Philadelphia at 22.00 UK time (23.00 CEST).
The winners will go on to face either Canada or Morocco in the quarter-final on July 9.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 26: Matheus Cunha of Brazil runs with the ball against Adrien Rabiot of France during the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Les Bleus have emerged as the hot favourites to win the trophy, having narrowly missed out in the 2022 Final against Argentina.

You hardly change a winning team...
This Saturday evening at 11 p.m., the France team takes on surprise package Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup round of 16, after Paraguay knocked out Germany in the previous round.
The official lineups are in!
The South American side is fielding five defenders for the first time in this World Cup, while Didier Deschamps has gone with the exact same starting eleven that knocked out Sweden (3-0) on Tuesday, with one exception: Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is unavailable, is replaced by Manu Koné!
Paraguay: Gill - Caceres, Velazquez, Gomez, Alderete, Alonso - Cubas, Galarza, Gomez - Almiron, Enciso

World Cup favourites France face Paraguay in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. With France on fire after an outstanding performance vs. Sweden in the last round, most people expect them to get a big win over the South Americans.
But Paraguay have built up the reputation of the surprise team of the tournament - they've beaten Türkiye and Germany in order to fight for a place in the quarter-finals now.
Bayern Munich's superstars Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano have become key players for Didier Deschamps' France side and Olise especially has transformed into one of the most important players for the super squad from Western Europe. Everytime he plays, he receives Ballon d'Or shouts - and deservedly so.
With just about an hour to go until kick-off, here are the confirmed lineups of both teams:
France (4-2-3-1): Maignan - Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Digne - Koné, Rabiot - Dembélé, Olise, Barcola - Mbappé

A major blow for the France team.
Just a few hours before kickoff of their 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match, the France team now has to deal with some very bad news.
According to information from RMC Sport, confirmed by L'Équipe, Aurélien Tchouaméni has been ruled out of tonight's match against Paraguay (11 p.m.).
The vice-captain of Les Bleus is suffering from a thigh issue and is expected to be replaced by Manu Koné, who played in the last two group-stage matches.
RMC Sport adds that the Real Madrid player should be fit again for a possible quarter-final, if France qualify this Saturday evening.

The Magnum Ice Cream Company has invested in a manufacturing site in Europe to meet demand for smaller products.
The group said the "strategically important" site in Hungary will make the "bite-sized" Magnum Bonbons.
In a statement, TMICC said consumers were looking for "shareable indulgence".
The company has invested Ft4bn (€10m) to install a new production line at the site in Veszprém, a city in western Hungary.
Péter Konecsni, the general manager for TMICC's business in Hungary, said "The ice cream category is increasingly shaped by innovation in formats and consumption occasions, making ice-cream a year-round snacking choice. Investments like this allow us to translate category‑defining ideas into scalable solutions that support long‑term growth across European markets."

As Kimi Raikkonen famously said after winning in Austin in 2018: finally. He may have added another word before it, beginning with the same letter, to underline just how long he'd waited since Melbourne 2013.
George Russell didn't have to wait five and a half years for his Spielberg victory. But after everything that's happened over the past three months, it must have felt almost as long.
Finally, he won again.
Read Also:
Who slept worst last night: Valtteri Bottas