Manchester United and Manchester City have received a massive transfer boost as Napoli allowed Kalidou Koulibaly to leave this summer for the right price.
Manchester United and Manchester City have both been working on bringing Koulibaly to the Premier League.
The Sky Blues are reportedly the leading candidates to land the 29-year-old centre-back.
Pep Guardiola is keen to revamp his defensive options following a leaky season. Nathan Ake has already arrived from Bournemouth as part of that agenda.
But the Spaniard is seeking a more proven solution and has, therefore, named Koulibaly his prime target.
Negotiations between the clubs are well underway, with Napoli asking for a fee in the region of £80million to sanction a deal.
The news of Lionel Messi’s imminent break-up with Barcelona has put the brakes on Koulibaly’s move to the Etihad. Manchester City have prioritized the Argentinean’s deal at the expense of everyone else.
The Senegalese star’s name could be back in fashion now as the Napoli bigwig Aurelio De Laurentiis issues a transfer update.
“Koulibaly and Milik are both on their way out, transfer market permitting,” he said, as relayed by the Express Sport.
“So, if the transfer market allows us to sell these two excellent players, we will know how to replace them.
“If not, then we’ll discuss it again next year.”
Manchester United are lurking in the shadows, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer searching for a top-class defender to partner Harry Maguire.
With Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones both performing in patches, the Norwegian wants to make sure to have two reliable centre-backs at his disposal.