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Defender Kalidou Koulibaly will be allowed to leave Napoli this summer, provided that the right price is offered for him.
That is according to Napoli club president, Aurelio De Laurentis, who has also confirmed that they are working on a deal to replace the 29-year old with Sokratis Papsthathopou;os.
Kouliby has been linked with a move to both Manchester clubs, although City are the favourites to sign him.
However, a complication that has now arisen is that City are unwilling to speak directly to the Serie A side, as they still harbour resentment over a failed move for Jorginho in 2018.
The midfielder had been promised to them, but was eventually sold to their rivals Chelsea.
Instead all contact over Koulibay is being conducted through intermediaries.
City have already acquired one centre-back this summer, in the form of Nathan Aké, who was signed from Bournemouth for a fee of £41 million. Kouliby is expected to cost close to £70 million.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.