Manu Kone is a man in demand this summer, but it appears his club have a deadline in mind to wrap up a transfer sale

Roma are under pressure to sell Manchester United transfer target Manu Kone before July 31st. The Serie A side are at risk of a financial punishment from UEFA.

They have a settlement agreement with the governing body of European football to ensure their losses do not exceed €60million (£51.25m) and have until July 31st to demonstrate this has not happened. Selling Kone, who is valued between £43m and £51m, would go some way to ensuring this does not happen.

It's understood United have agreed personal terms, in principle, with the World Cup star, who was described as France's best midfielder by Patrick Vieira. However, a bid is yet to be sent by the Reds, despite their desire to sign a third midfielder.

Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, has reported that United have failed to progress in their pursuit of Kone, despite the agreement in principle reached with the 25-year-old.

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The Italian outlet also noted that United have been moving "slowly" in negotiations, much to Roma's annoyance. The Roman club are in a race against time, bound by their settlement agreement with UEFA.

Offloading Kone would go a long way towards meeting that threshold and shielding the club from a fine of up to €10m, but it must be done 31st July, which is the deadline stipulated by UEFA.

Kone isn't the sole midfielder the Reds have been tracking. Real Madrid star and Kone's France colleague Aurelien Tchouameni continues to be touted for a switch to Old Trafford.

United have already strengthened their midfield options with the acquisitions of £35m Aston Villa star Youri Tielemans and Chelsea prospect Andrey Santos for £50m. However, with Casemiro having departed and Manuel Ugarte sidelined through injury, a fourth signing remains at the forefront of United's shopping list.

At the World Cup, Kone featured from the start in four of France's seven fixtures. During their semi-final loss to Spain, Didier Deschamps brought on Kone at the interval in place of Adrien Rabiot in a bid to spark a comeback.

Vieira has already endorsed Kone. Speaking in his punditry role, the 1998 World Cup winner, when quizzed about Kone, said: "He had a really good season in Serie A with Roma.

"He came to the World Cup after a couple of injuries. It has been quite a difficult season for him. He is for me today the best midfielder in France.

"I'd put him ahead of [Aurelien] Tchouameni and [Adrien] Rabiot, because he has this mobility, he is aggressive, he is a ball-winner, and he has the technical ability to be part of the build-up, has the facility with the ball to break lines and move forward."

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