Kalidou Koulibaly ‘agrees £72m Man City transfer’ because Napoli’s highly-rated defender wants to play under Guardiola

KALIDOU KOULIBALY reportedly wants to sign for Manchester City to work with Pep Guardiola. Rumours are rife that the Premier League side are nearing a £72.5million deal for the Napoli defender. After relinquishing their crown to Liverpool, the inquest is already well underway at Etihad Stadium and many have highlighted their defence as needing improvement. […]

KALIDOU KOULIBALY reportedly wants to sign for Manchester City to work with Pep Guardiola.

Rumours are rife that the Premier League side are nearing a £72.5million deal for the Napoli defender.

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After relinquishing their crown to Liverpool, the inquest is already well underway at Etihad Stadium and many have highlighted their defence as needing improvement.

The loss of Aymeric Laporte to injury earlier in the year sparked a below-average run of form and City were criticised for not having a replacement ready.

But that could all change with the arrival of Koulibaly, who has reportedly agreed to sign for the Citizens.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the key factor in the Senegal international accepting City’s offer was the chance to learn from Guardiola.

The former Barcelona boss has helped develop some of the world’s best centre-backs during his career, from Gerard Pique and Vincent Kompany to Jerome Boateng and Laporte.

Talk of a £72.5m bid represents a possible compromise on behalf on Napoli.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis was thought to have priced many clubs out of the running for Koulibaly with a £90m valuation.

He told Corriere dello Sport earlier this month: “If City or United or PSG with 100 million euros showed up, I would think about [selling Koulibaly] and it is probable that he would leave, if his will was to leave.

“I don’t even consider an offer of 60 million.

“I am solid, if I wanted to win the Scudetto at any cost today I would find myself with three, four hundred million debts. I look around and see clubs at 500, 600 million, almost a billion [in debt]. I don’t owe anyone s***.”

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool have all been linked with the 29-year-old in recent weeks, although the latter are thought to have moved on to other targets.