The 25-year-old played a key role in France’s run to the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals in North America as part of Didier Deschamps' defensive midfield shield.
United have been linked with Kone since the start of June, alongside rumoured interest from domestic rivals Chelsea, as Michael Carrick continues to reshape his midfield after already bringing in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
Kone's World Cup exploits mean he will not return for preseason, in Italy or England, until the start of August with United heading off on a USA summer tour at the end of July.
Carrick remains confident his early signal of intent over bringing Kone to Old Trafford will give United an edge, but as per French outlet L'Equipe, Arsenal's interest is genuine as Mikel Arteta plans for the 2026/27 season.
The Gunners have already offloaded Leandro Trossard and there are doubts over the futures of club captain Martin Odegaard and Christian Norgaard with cash strapped Roma open to offers in he region of £60M for Kone.