After Napoli reportedly ‘agreed’ a replacement deal for Kalidou Koulibaly, closing in on the signing of £22 million defender Gabriel Magalhaes, reliable Manchester Evening News journalist Stuart Brennan went on to give background surrounding Man City’s transfer history with Napoli.
Explaining how City’s proposed move for Koulibaly has potentially come ‘one step closer’, the acquisition of Magalhaes could stiffen Napoli’s resolve in terms of the fee – with chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis valuing him at £62 million.
Was missing out on Jorginho a real Man City blow?
Yes, could have been brilliant
No, we dodged a bullet
Given our previous encounters with the Serie A magnate, and the fact Napoli could be looking to recuperate funds spent on Magalhaes, City will apparently need to be wary in the negotiations – harking back to a previous farce regarding ex-Sky Blue target Jorginho.
How City missed out on the Chelsea man…
Journalist Brennan, detailing how close City came to securing Jorginho, explains that De Laurentiis pulled out of an agreement at the very last second due to Chelsea’s involvement.
Both City and Napoli ‘shook hands’ over a £44 million deal, with agent Joao Santos going as far as to organise a medical in Manchester.
The move was all but done and waiting on an official contracted agreement, but nobody could predict the next stage.
Chelsea swooped in at the very last second and offered £53 million – prompting De Laurentiis to pull the plug on a City transfer that seemed all but done.
‘The deal was so close’ explains Brennan, writing in the MEN, and Napoli’s last minute change of heart apparently left our club ‘furious’.
Bearing this in mind, the past Jorginho hiccup should be taken into account as we attempt to sign Koulibaly.
How Guardiola reacted…
Burying the hatchet, manager Pep Guardiola quickly forgave Jorginho’s snub at a press conference in 2018, going on to claim it would’ve been a ‘mistake’ if he signed for City when Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri were weighing on his mind as favourable options.
“No, I’m not disappointed,” said Guardiola via the Sun.
“We tried, but at the end all my advice for the players is that they have to go where they want to go.
“For the guy, it would have been a mistake for him and for us if he had decided to come here when he wanted to go with Maurizio and Chelsea.”
Final verdict…
Missing out on Jorginho seemed like a real blow at the time, but since then, our signing of Rodri as a more-than capable passing midfielder arguably mitigates the loss.