According to recent reports in Italian publication Il Mattino (via AreaNapoli), Manchester City have expressed an interest in signing Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.
The reports suggest that Napoli have set an asking price of €90million (£71.6million) for the 28-year-old, with City reportedly expressing an interest in the defender.
However, Sport Witness have claimed that City’s transfer business this summer heavily depends on the outcome of their CAS hearing, which will determine whether the club’s two-year ban from European football – handed to them by UEFA for breaking FFP rules, as well as deliberately misleading UEFA’s investigations into the club’s finances – will be upheld.
TIF Thoughts…
Since joining Napoli from KRC Genk for a fee of £6.98million back in 2014, Koulibaly has gone on to make 234 appearances for Gli Azzurri, scoring 10 goals and providing five assists.
However, in Serie A this season, the 28-year-old has managed just 15 appearances due to a couple of injuries, averaging a disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.78 when he has been on the pitch.
Although, despite his below-average league form, the Senegal international has performed admirably in the Champions League, averaging a 7.43 match rating over his six appearances in the competition.
However, €90million (£71.6million) seems a great amount of money for a defender who has not exactly set his domestic league alight so far this season, in addition to the fact that this asking price is a fair bit higher than his current Transfermarkt valuation of £50.4million.
Should City make a move for Kalidou Koulibaly this summer?
Yes
No
Further still, with City waiting to hear the verdict of their CAS hearing, it remains uncertain whether they will be able to feature in the Champions League next season, and, should their ban be upheld, it is questionable whether a player of Koulibaly’s age and reputation would be willing to miss the next two-years of European football.