Pep Guardiola still keen on €90m-rated Man City target as agent holds touted talks with star

Posted by

Man City are still reportedly keen on Napoli ace Kalidou Koulibaly despite splashing out on signing Nathan Ake from Bournemouth this week.

As per BBC Sport, City spent £40m to sign Ake from relegated Bournemouth just two days ago as Pep Guardiola looks to shore up his backline.

SEE MORE: Barcelona are quoted £30m for ace despite his unfavourable contract situation

Aymeric Laporte will undoubtedly be a starter when fit and could now be partnered by Ake on a regular basis, but Man City suffered a blow this week too as Eric Garcia has expressed his desire to not renew his contract which expires next year, as confirmed by Guardiola himself on Thursday.

The Guardian have since noted that the club will demand £30m to green light an exit for him as Barcelona are linked with a swoop for their former starlet, and so there will perhaps be a void in defence that will need to be filled again.

That in turn perhaps has reignited talk of a move for Koulibaly, with the experienced and commanding centre-half establishing himself as one of the best in his position in Europe after years of top performances for Napoli.

Calciomercato report, via Corriere dello Sport, a new offer has been presented to owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, but he is still demanding €90m for his prized asset.

Time will tell if a compromise can be reached to ensure that an exit materialises this summer, but it’s added that Koulibaly’s agent, Fali Ramadani, has arrived in Italy and talks with the Senegalese international could be on the agenda during his trip.

Having lost the Premier League title to Liverpool this past season, Man City have acted swiftly to bring in reinforcements with Ake and Ferran Torres being snapped up in the space of a few days.

It remains to be seen just how many more new faces arrive at the Etihad in the coming weeks…

More Stories Eric Garcia Kalidou Koulibaly Nathan Ake Pep Guardiola