Pep and Manchester City are still working hard on bringing in the world-class centre back Koulibaly to the Etihad.
Manchester City officials are preparing a second formal offer for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, having made an initial proposal of €60million several days ago. Previously marked at €100million, the Azzurri are demanding €75million for the Senegal international.
Kalidou Koulibaly is considered one of the best central defenders in Europe, ranking alongside Virgil van Dijk, Sergio Ramos, and Raphael Varane. The 29-year-old was close to a move away from Napoli last summer, but the club’s exorbitant valuation of €100million scuppered a potential transfer to Manchester United or anywhere in Europe.
Twelve months later, Koulibaly could attain his desired next challenge in the Premier League as Napoli is in need for an injection of finances to balance the generous spending and continue the investment under manager Gennaro Gattuso, thereby complying with Financial Fair Play norms.
Napoli expect Manchester City to submit a new bid for Kalidou Koulibaly on next week - around €75m add ons included. Talks still progressing [so slow because of no-direct contacts between the two clubs]. Napoli are waiting for the new official bid. 🔵 @DiMarzio #MCFC #ManCity
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 4, 2020
After a genuine interest last summer, Manchester United made an inquiry for Kalidou Koulibaly but their priorities lied elsewhere. This has meant Man City are the only ones expressing a concrete interest in securing the services of a seasoned centre-half.
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Despite Man City’s will to sign Koulibaly hastily, the negotiations between the two clubs are progressing tediously via the player’s agent Fali Ramidani. Since the famous snub by Jorginho, the City chiefs share an uncordial relationship with Napoli counterparts.
"Manchester City are preparing a second bid for the Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly. Their first bid of around €60m including add-ons was €15m short of Napoli’s valuation, but the Premier League club hope they can find a compromise with an improved offer in the next few days.Koulibaly’s agent, Fali Ramadani, is working behind the scenes to improve the situation between the two clubs and there is a growing confidence at City that a deal can be struck. (Fabrizio Romano, The Guardian)"
In all likeliness, Kalidou Koulibaly is well poised to be Pep Guardiola’s third summer signing after Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake. The Catalan manager considers the Senegalese as the statement signing to close the gap on Liverpool and pose another Premier League challenge next season.
As Lionel Messi confirmed his Barcelona for at least another campaign, Man City suffered a minor hiccup as they made significant efforts to convince the Argentine wizard to be a part of their widespread sporting project.
Man City start their Premier League campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 21.