Chelsea's transfer strategy under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's ownership has mainly been built around the future with a string of young, world class signings.
In the summer, Carney Chukwuemeka was signed for a fee in the region of £20million after making just two Premier League appearances at Aston Villa prior. Four months later, teenager Andrey Santos signed from Vasco da Gama before Boehly smashed the club and British transfer record to land Enzo Fernandez on deadline day for £106million.
Fernandez has played in all nine games that have taken place since switching sunny Portugal for SW6. There were no signs of a 'transition' phase for the Argentine and it became evidently clear why Benfica were desperate to keep him.
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However, the perfect midfield partner is yet to identify itself for Graham Potter. Mateo Kovacic has filled in well since returning from a minor injury, with Conor Gallagher often used off the bench early in the second half to form a 5-3-2 formation when Chelsea have been closing games.
The Blues have strongly been linked with a move for Frenkie de Jong and Jude Bellingham in the past, but the club are edging towards a full season without European football for the first time since 2016/17. Using the pull of Champions League football is no longer a viable method in luring the world's best meaning Boehly will be forced to commit to his carefully picked recruitment team.
In spite of the £600million spent in the last two windows, there remains the need to invest in nearly every position across Graham Potter’s squad for the 2023/24 season - especially in midfield.
One man who is on Joe Shields and Paul Winstanley's midfield radar is Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone. The 2001-born Frenchman has been strongly linked with a move to one of Europe's biggest clubs in recent months after catching the eye in Germany.
He only joined Gladbach in January 2021 from French side Toulouse and has made 54 appearances since. A colossal in Daniel Farke's midfield, Kone plays a more advanced role in the midfield two alongside Christoph Kramer, although his average position doesn't deteriorate from his natural ball-winning ability.
And on Saturday, scouts from across England were presented with the opportunity to watch Kone in action as France Under-21s visited the King Power Stadium to take on Lee Carsley's men. The 21-year-old played alongside Lyon prodigy Johann Lepenant in a 4-2-3-1 formation in Sylvain Ripoll's side and commanded the midfield.
Kone played 74 minutes in the 4-0 defeat in the Midlands and was one of France's most stand-out players. In defence, he blocked two shots, completed six of his duels and was not dribbled past once. When on the ball, the 21-year-old completed an impressive 91% of his attempted passes - only Benoit Badiashile and Johann Lepenant boasted a better success rate in the Les Blues side.
Interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United comes at no surprise when watching him in action. Reports in Germany have previously noted that PSG and Chelsea have enquired about his services, though Boehly does hold the edge in negotiations due to the midfielder's "dreams" of a move to the Premier League.
Valued at €30million (£26.4million) by CIES Football Observatory, Kone would come at an incredibly cheaper price compared to the lavish price tags hovering over the heads of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo. Kone has already refused to rule out a move in the summer and if reports from Europe are to be believed, Gladbach will sanction a deal for the 'right price'.
The arrival of Kone in the summer would allow Enzo Fernandez the freedom to venture further forward and allow him to be more involved in Chelsea's play in the final third. While the first choice may be Rice, Bellingham or Caicedo, investing in Kone for a fraction of the price would be exquisite business.
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