Manchester City ‘set to raise offer for Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly to £72m’ with boss Pep Guardiola intent on adding further to his defence this summer
- Manchester City have a long-standing interest in Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly
- City have already bid £58million for the Senegalese defender say reports
- The Premier League club could reportedly get their man for £72million this year
- Pep Guardiola will step up his bid for Koulibaly after the Champions League ends
Manchester City will step up their interest in Napoli defender Kalidou Kouliably when their Champions League campaign is over, according to reports.
The Premier League side are strongly linked with a move for the Senegalese international as Pep Guardiola looks to bolster his defence ahead of the 2020-21 top-flight season.
According to transfer expert Alfredo Pedulla, City bid around £58million for the 29-year-old earlier this summer, which was rejected by the Italian side.
Manchester City can get Kalidou Koulibaly for around £68million this summer, say reports
Pep Guardiola (above) will step up his Koulibaly bid when the Champions League season ends
However, Pedulla claims that Guardiola will be able to get his man if he raises his offer to £72million, with City expected to do that when their season comes to an end this month.
Manchester City continue their Champions League journey when they face Lyon in the quarter-finals on Saturday evening. The winner of that contest will take on Bayern Munich, who thumped Barcelona 8-2 on Friday night.
The same report says that Napoli have a deal in place for Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who is expected to be Koulibaly’s replacement at the southern Italian club.
Koulibaly (left) is widely regarded as the man to fix City’s defensive woes next season
The Brazilian centre-back has been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton in recent weeks.
Kouliably has been a revelation for the Serie A side since his arrival in southern Italy in 2014.
The 6ft 1 in defender has helped Napoli challenge for European spots and sometimes even the Scudetto title in recent seasons.
The 6ft 1 in defender has made played 250 games for Napoli since arriving there in 2014
The 29-year-old has made nearly 250 appearances for the Serie A side since arriving six years ago from Genk, scoring ten goals.
He was part of the side who lifted the Italian Cup earlier this season, beating league champions Juevntus in a tense penalty shoutout. He also helped Napoli win the Italian Super Cup back in 2014.
The transfer window ends on October 5, with Guardiola’s side starting their Premier League campaign on September 12.