Manchester City target Kalidou Koulibaly will be made available this summer, but only at the right price, says Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis.
In revealing that the Senegalese central defender is potentially for sale, De Larentiis said the same of striker Arkadiusz Milik. “Koulibaly and Milik are on their way out but we need to see what offers arrive” De Laurentiis told a group of reporters.
“If they go, we know how to replace them. If not, we’ll discuss it again next year.”
According to French Football News, in reports earlier this week, City’s football director Txiki Begiristain is currently working on negotiating with the Serie A club, as the player “has already agreed personal terms.”
However, nothing concrete has really happened when it comes to transfer fees, or even a bid, at this point. City’s cross-town rivals, United, have also been very interested, but gave up once the price tag hit the 80 million GBP mark.
Or the amount that they ended up paying Leicester City for centre back Harry Maguire anyway. Paris Saint-Germain were also reportedly keen at one point, but found him too pricy for their current situation in this economic atmosphere.
Koulibaly has been linked to both Manchester clubs for some time.
However, the big transfer narrative concerning City right now is Lionel Messi. The player’s agent and father met with FC Barcelona leadership yesterday, but unfortunately, the two sides remain at an impasse.
Manchester City have had a busy summer, signing Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake. Koulibaly, (or Messi for that matter) would become the third addition to the roster, if/when they sign on the dotted line.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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