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Manchester City’s chances of capturing 33-cap international may have dwindled

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Despite what appears to be a pretty successful summer of transfer dealings for us so far, we may have suffered a setback regarding one of our key targets.

What’s the word?

We have been chasing the Kalidou Koulibaly all summer as we continue to look for a replacement for Vincent Kompany, who left to join his boyhood club Anderlecht last summer.

The fact that Pep Guardiola did not replace him was part of the reason why we finished 18 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table last season, but we have been actively scouting the Senegalese defender all summer.

Nevertheless, we have been trying desperately to convince Koulibaly that the best next move in his career would be to the Etihad Stadium. His services would be a huge boost to our side and send a warning to our rivals. However, it looks as if any potential deal for the 33-cap international could be about to hit the rocks.

Should Pep break the bank for Koulibaly?

Yes

No

Italian news outlets Il Mattino and Corriere Dello Sport (via Sport Witness) believe that City’s pursuit for the centre-back may not happen, due to a number of reasons.

The report adds that our refusal to speak with Napoli directly is delaying proceedings. Not only this but we are yet to meet their asking price, which is believed to be in the region of €75m (£69m).

Could this hurt our title challenge?

This is gravely concerning. We conceded 67 goals during the 2019/20 campaign and finished miles behind Liverpool, despite pipping them to the post in what was an epic title battle the season before.

As I said above, capturing Koulibaly would send a clear message to the teams around us that we are not here to mess around, and that we are serious about reclaiming the crown-topped trophy that we have won on four separate occasions.

As nice as it would have been to sign Lionel Messi, we still would have had the same problems at the back, which probably would have meant the Senegal international would have been off the cards.

That’s why we need to bring someone in that can partner Aymeric Laporte at the heart of our defence. If I were to name one person to do that, Koulibaly would be the man.

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