Chelsea have stepped up their midfield recruitment as Xabi Alonso continues reshaping his squad during the final hours of the window.
The Blues have already spent heavily this summer, with Morgan Rogers arriving from Aston Villa for a club-record £120 million.
Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda and Emiliano Martinez have also joined Alonso’s squad during an extensive rebuild.
Chelsea have simultaneously moved several players out, including Nicolas Jackson, Marc Cucurella, David Datro Fofana and Robert Sanchez.
Their midfield plans have become increasingly important because Enzo Fernandez is edging closer to a potential move to Manchester City.
Chelsea have also worked on a deal for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, although that pursuit has stalled recently.
They have now made significant progress with Manu Kone as the deadline approaches. According to FootballTransfers, Chelsea have agreed personal terms with the Roma midfielder.
The Blues are now pushing to complete a deal for the France international before the transfer window closes.
Roma are seeking around €60 million to sanction Kone’s departure, while Chelsea have intensified discussions over a deadline-day transfer.
Kone made 37 appearances across all competitions for Roma last season and scored two goals.
The 25-year-old has emerged as a leading option for Chelsea as they prepare for the possibility of Fernandez leaving Stamford Bridge.
Roma, however, have not indicated that they want to sell the midfielder and are yet to receive a formal offer.
Chelsea are continuing talks as they attempt to turn their agreement with Kone into a club-to-club deal.
Dario Essugo could also leave Chelsea on loan before the window closes, adding further movement around Alonso’s midfield options.
Chelsea have started the Premier League season with consecutive victories over Fulham and Brighton.
Their attention now returns to the market, with Kone firmly at the centre of their deadline-day plans.
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