Arsenal interested in Thierry Henry-approved World Cup star dubbed 'one of best midfielders' in Europe

Arsenal have reportedly registered their interest in a French international previously dubbed “one of the best” by Gunners legend Thierry Henry.

Having won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years during the 2025/26 campaign, Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are wasting no time in identifying players who could potentially bolster Arsenal's squad ahead of their title defence.

The Gunners have already been linked with three wingers: Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, Club Brugge's Christos Tzolis and Real Sociedad's Ander Barrenetxea, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli expected to leave the club this summer.

Aston Villa and England attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers remains one of the Gunners’ primary targets, while Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is viewed as an alternative.

Arsenal have also enquired about Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, although their approaches were reportedly rejected by the Serie A giants.

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Now, according to French outlet L’Equipe, the Gunners have registered their interest in a highly rated holding midfielder who could provide the perfect partner for Declan Rice in the middle of the park.

The outlet reports that Arsenal are considering making a €40 million (£35.5 million) move for Roma and France midfielder Manu Koné, with the 25-year-old having impressed since arriving from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2024.

Reports in Italy suggest Roma may be forced to sell the player to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, despite the club wanting to keep him.

Koné, who is contracted to Roma until 2029, impressed during his initial loan spell in Italy during the 2024/25 campaign before his switch was made permanent last summer.

He featured 37 times for the Rome-based club last season, registering two goals and three assists as the Italians finished third and qualified for the Champions League.

Koné’s performances earned him a call-up to Didier Deschamps’ 26-man World Cup squad, with the midfielder having won 14 caps ahead of Les Bleus' tournament opener against Senegal on June 16.

Henry praises Arsenal transfer target

The 25-year-old was also part of the French Olympic team coached by Henry, which won silver at the 2024 Paris Games.

Speaking to SPORTbible ahead of the tournament, Henry was full of praise for Kone, even describing him as “one of the best holding midfielders out there”.

“He’s going about his life in a quiet way,” Henry told SPORTbible in association with the “No Lay’s, No Game” campaign.

“He was at Mönchengladbach. He signed for Roma. Now he’s a starter for France because, obviously, Didier Deschamps believes he can play for France.

“And since then, he’s been brilliant. I don’t think that’s a name people often mention, and he’s a starter for France. In that team, you’re going to have to be good.

“So I don’t know if he’s going to play at the World Cup, but so far, he’s a guy I would say people in that team do not mention a lot, because you will mention [Ousmane] Dembélé, you will mention Désiré Doué, you will mention [Bradley] Barcola, you will mention [William] Saliba, and you will mention [Ibrahima] Konaté.

“And people do not mention him. I do think he’s a very, very, very, very solid player.”