Man City prepared to ‘test the waters’ for £108m-rated defender Kalidou Koulibaly as they try and take advantage of Napoli chaos
- Man City ‘willing to test the waters’ with an offer for Napoli defender Koulibaly
- Pep Guardiola is in need of defensive reinforcement following issues this season
- City ‘want to see the reaction’ of Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis
- Koulibaly was the subject of a £108m bid from Manchester United last summer
- And this figure would be the starting point for any City offer for him
Manchester City are ‘willing to test the waters’ for Napoli’s £108million-rated centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Premier League champions want to ‘test the reaction’ of Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis as they try and take advantage of the turmoil at the Serie A club.
De Laurentiis sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday night just minutes after Napoli booked their place in the last-16 of the Champions League with a 4-0 win over Genk.
Manchester City ‘are prepared to test the waters’ with a £108m bid for Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly (right) as they seek defensive reinforcements
Senegal international Koulibaly in action during Napoli’s 4-0 win over Genk on Tuesday night
Ancelotti paid the price for their poor league form, which sees them currently seventh in Serie A, and behind-the-scenes disagreements over the training camp De Laurentiis demanded.
According to Corriere dello Sport, as per Sport Witness, City want to see if they can tempt Napoli to part with Koulibaly, the 28-year-old Senegal international.
They report that any negotiations would start from the £108m figure Manchester United offered Napoli for the defender last summer.
City manager Pep Guardiola is in need of defensive reinforcements with his team struggling
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis (left) sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday
Carlo Ancelotti met his sorry end as Napoli manager after a disappointing 18-month reign
Napoli are trailing badly in Serie A, sitting 17 points behind Inter Milan after 15 matches
It’s unlikely that the Napoli owner will be interested in striking a deal but City believe they have nothing to lose.
Pep Guardiola’s side have struggled defensively this season with injuries and patchy form striking some of their key players at the back.
It’s left them sitting third in the Premier League table, some 14 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool.