Manchester City have been sent a message that could either make or break a potential deal for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
What’s been said?
The 29-year-old powerhouse has been heavily linked with a move to join us this season as we look to regain our Premier League crown that we lost to Liverpool during the 2019/20 campaign.
But uncertainties regarding Koulibaly’s future at the Serie A giants have risen to the surface in recent months, most recently having to play in a reserve match while the first team played a friendly game. Their club president Aurelio De Laurentiis previously said that he will leave the club if the transfer window allows it, via FootballItalia.
The Senegal international has been in Italy since 2014 having moved to the club for just £7m from the Belgian side KRC Genk. In this time, his valuation has shot up ten times that after reports suggested he will be available if a team can meet his €70m (£64.5m) price tag.
Speaking to Sky Italia (via Sportsmole) this was reaffirmed by manager Gennaro Gattuso, who made his feelings clear on the situation regarding the 6ft 1 centre-back.
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“Koulibaly has a precise asking price, and if the club doesn’t get the money it is asking for, then he won’t leave.”
Sign at all costs
Let’s be honest, we did not miss out on the league title last season due to not scoring enough goals. As much as it would have been nice to sign Lionel Messi, he should not be our top priority.
I’m not saying that we should not have tried to sign Messi. He’s the best player in the world. Anyone in their right mind would love to have him play for their team.
But for me, we conceded 67 goals in 38 league matches last season. It is obvious that we need to sign a centre back. Covering any further aggravation to Aymeric Laporte’s injury would benefit us going forward.
The club should not hesitate to buy Koulibaly and meet the price that is asked. If we bring him in, he has the potential to provide a similar impact than what Virgil van Dijk did at Liverpool.