Manchester United Set to Target Roma Players Amid Manager Search
Manchester United’s rebuild is gathering speed on two fronts: on the pitch, with a double raid on Roma in the works, and off it, where INEOS are moving up the timetable for appointing a new head coach.
Roma’s financial squeeze opens door for United
United are drawing up plans for a major squad refresh, with central midfield and centre-back high on the list alongside left-back, left wing and a new goalkeeper. Roma’s financial trouble might hand them exactly what they want.
Italian outlet Il Messaggero, relayed by Sport Witness, reports that United are tracking Roma pair Manu Kone and Evan Ndicka, with the Serie A club under pressure to cash in this summer.
Roma must raise around €80m (£69m) by June 30 to satisfy UEFA’s financial regulations. That leaves sporting director Frederic Massara juggling a brutal equation: sell serious assets, but avoid ripping the core out of the first team. For clubs with money to spend, the opportunity is obvious.
The suggestion is that “the red carpet could be rolled out” for United in the upcoming window, with Kone and Ndicka among the likeliest to go.
Kone, the French midfielder, is described as the player “closest to a possible departure”. Both United and Inter Milan are in the frame, and Roma’s need to sell gives suitors leverage they simply didn’t have a year ago.
Ndicka, the Ivorian centre-half, is also firmly on United’s radar as they look to shore up a back line repeatedly disrupted by injuries. Concerns over the fitness records of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt have pushed centre-back up the priority list, and Ndicka’s name keeps resurfacing.
The pair are each valued at around €40–45m (£35–39m). Earlier this month, United were told Ndicka is “one of the very best central defenders in Europe” – the kind of profile that fits INEOS’ plan to build a younger, more durable core.
If Roma’s accounts dictate the market, United will be ready to move.
INEOS bring forward manager decision
While the recruitment team line up targets, INEOS are also accelerating the search for the next permanent head coach.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that United do not intend to wait until the final whistle of the season to make their call. The plan is to move as soon as Champions League qualification is secured.
“Manchester United would like to wrap up this process in late April or early May, not definitively at the end of the season,” Jacobs said. Some candidates could complicate that timeline, but the intention is clear: clarity early, not chaos in June.
Michael Carrick remains a frontrunner. His stock has risen since he took the job, yet INEOS are determined to run a full process. There will be outreach to other candidates, interviews, and a structured assessment rather than a sentimental handover.
Jacobs underlined that point: United will not “hand it to him on a silver platter”.
Carrick is doing everything he can to force their hand. He does not carry an interim title, sits in on recruitment meetings, and has earned strong backing in the dressing room. From a transition standpoint, he is the cleanest, quickest option. If he delivers Champions League football – which is currently viewed as highly likely – the pressure to formalise his position will only intensify.
INEOS want the manager decision locked in while the transfer market is still forming, not after it has taken shape without them.
United push for value in Baleba chase
On the midfield front, United are also keeping a close eye on Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, though the numbers are still miles apart.
The Athletic reports that United continue to monitor the Cameroonian after trying to sign him last summer. Back then, they agreed personal terms with the player before hitting a wall with Brighton’s valuation, which was set at around £100m.
United were only prepared to go to £75m. After a mixed campaign from Baleba, their stance has hardened. They now value him at closer to £50m.
Brighton, famously tough negotiators, are unlikely to roll over at that figure. Any deal at that price would be a major surprise.
Even so, United’s analysts remain convinced Baleba would be a strong addition. Data suggests he would dovetail well with Kobbie Mainoo in midfield, offering the kind of physicality and ball-carrying that could free the youngster to dictate play.
Baleba’s display in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Chelsea has stuck in minds at Old Trafford. United believe that performance was a glimpse of a player edging back towards his best.
Roma’s financial strain, a manager decision brought forward, and a hard line on valuations like Baleba’s all point in the same direction: this summer, United intend to act with purpose, not panic.
