Napoli owner De Laurentiis gives update on Koulibaly to City

De Laurentiis says a bad relationship with Man City over a failed move for Jorginho in 2018 is slowing down talks for Koulibaly.

It’s no longer news that Manchester City have a strong interest in Koulibaly.

Reinforcements in defence is a priority for Pep Guardiola after his side lost out to rivals Liverpool last season.

After the acquisition of Ake, the Citizens have turned their attentions to Koulibaly as they look to further strengthen.

Manchester City are still in talks with Napoli to sign Kalidou Koulibaly but no agreement has been reached yet. Slow negotiation – the player is waiting for final decisions too.
Today Man City also loaned out Ivan Ilic (2001) to Verona in Italy [@MatteMoretto @SkySport] 🔵 #MCFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2020

Napoli president De Laurentiis has openly said the player is up for sale if the right offer comes in.

But something appears to be slowing the deal. It dates back to 2018. Manchester City apparently agreed a deal with Napoli at the time to sign now Chelsea star Jorginho. At the eleventh hour, the Serie A side changed their mind and sold the midfielder to Chelsea for ‘more’ cash.

City still hold that grudge with Napoli till date and the Napoli president admits it has affected a deal for Koulibaly.

“I have answered on this via SMS, because an important English newspaper wrote to me asking: ‘What is happening with Koulibaly and Manchester City?” De Laurentiis said as quoted by Sky Sports.

“I answered that Manchester City is saying it can’t talk directly with us because of the problem with Jorginho.

“How can we then proceed with a serious and serene negotiation for the transfer of a player? Is the reasoning clear?”

Regardless, it is expected both clubs would eventually come to an agreement that would stick this time. Koulibaly could still join Manchester City before the new season starts.