Man City ‘close to giving up on Koulibaly’ after failing to meet Napoli’s valuation for star defender

MANCHESTER CITY are reportedly set to admit defeat in their bid to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese superstar, 29, is thought to be on Pep Guardiola’s summer shopping list after six impressive seasons in Serie A. Yet the Premier League giants are thought to be struggling to meet the Italian’s £70million asking price. […]

MANCHESTER CITY are reportedly set to admit defeat in their bid to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Senegalese superstar, 29, is thought to be on Pep Guardiola’s summer shopping list after six impressive seasons in Serie A.

Yet the Premier League giants are thought to be struggling to meet the Italian’s £70million asking price.

City have already seen a £53m offer knocked back and were reportedly given a deadline to complete a deal for Koulibaly this weekend.

According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla the two sides still hold a ‘substantial’ difference in their valuation and City are ready to end negotiations.

San Paolo boss Gennaro Gattuso had said on Sunday that Koulibaly will not be sold on the cheap.

He told Sky Italia: “Koulibaly has a precise asking price, and if the club don’t get the money it is asking for, then he won’t leave.”

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has also claimed relations with City are poor following Jorginho’s failed Etihad move in 2018.

He said: “How can we have a normal and calm negotiation with City to sell Koulibaly?

“They won’t talk to us directly because of the Jorginho deal two years ago.”

City have already failed to tempt Napoli into selling Koulibaly for less than £70m by offering Oleksandr Zinchenko in return.

Yet Guardiola is now set to turn his attention to Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez or Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

The Spaniard have already signed a defender this window in the form of Nathan Ake but is believed to want to add more to sort out City’s defensive flaws.