Whilst AS Monaco were persistent in their approach for Abdoul Koné (20), the defender will ultimately remain with Stade de Reims. 

Monaco have switched to a back three since the arrival of Sébastien Pocognoli as manager, and it has led the hierarchy to seek a further recruit in this sector. In France, clubs are allowed to make one ‘joker’ signing outside of the transfer window, however, the player must be from another club in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2, or a free agent. Monaco attempted to exploit this rule to sign Reims’ Koné. 

Monaco made two concrete approaches for Koné, both of which were rejected by Reims, who see the defender as key to their bid to regain promotion back to the top flight. The first bid was worth €3m, according to L’Équipe. The value of the second failed bid has not been revealed. 

Koné has now signed a new deal with Les Stadistes, which runs until 2029, putting a definitive end to Les Monégasques’ pursuit.