Chelsea are one of the clubs who are going into the summer transfer window with the Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone.
Do Chelsea need another midfielder?
Reports would suggest the Blues are going into the summer window with another midfielder on their radar given the links to the likes of Declan Rice.
And it seems as if they will enter the summer window with a list of potential targets which could also include the sought-after Jude Bellingham.
However, they already seem to be among the front-runners in the race to potentially sign Kone from the Bundesliga side ahead of the summer.
Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has suggested a move to London could potentially be on the cards for the young Frenchman:
(1:20) "It's my understanding that three clubs in this moment are leading the race for Manu Kone. One for sure, at the moment, from my understanding, is Chelsea.
"Chelsea appreciate Manu Kone. They have many players in the list, we have to include Roméo Lavia, we have to include the situation of Declan Rice, they are always monitoring, but we know that also Manu Kone is a player they are following."
Would Kone improve Chelsea?
As a result of Jorginho's departure and Ngolo Kante's long-term injury issue, Mateo Kovacic has been handed a lot of opportunities in the Chelsea side this season.
The Croatian has already racked up 19 appearances in the Premier League despite dealing with his own setbacks throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
However, a big summer addition in midfield could potentially see his spot in the side come under serious threat given the club recently spent over £100m on the addition of Enzo Fernandez.
The 21-year-old, Kone, has played 24 times for Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga this season and provided the same return of one goal and one assists as Kovacic (via Transfermarkt).
Journalist Josh Bunting hailed Kone earlier in the season as "outstanding in the hole" after "dictating the tempo of the play" in Gladbach's game against Bayern Munich.
And this has been a theme which has continued throughout the 2022/23 campaign with the 21-year-old ranking in the top percentile for successful take-ons across the top five leagues (via FBref).
The youngster has also registered more tackles per 90 minutes this season in comparison to Kovacic as well as over double the number of ball recoveries so far this season (via FBref).
The future of Kante remains uncertain with his deal set to expire at the end of the season and no new deal in place, if the Frenchman is to leave, perhaps Kone could provide them with a long-term option in the middle.
Given there are reports suggesting the Blues will face competition from Arsenal for Rice's signature, Kone could potentially be n alternative they could look to at a cheaper fee.
