Manchester City Agrees Personal Terms To Sign Napoli Star Kalidou Koulibaly

Manchester City is closing in on its third big signing this summer after taking a big stride in talks with Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly.

Koulibaly has been a standout at Napoli, but his name is linked to a move to the Premier League almost every transfer window. However, it seems moving to England is in the Ballon d'Or nominee's future as Koulibaly agreed personal terms for a move to Manchester City, France Football reported.

Man City is currently negotiating with the highly-rated defender through Txiki Begiristain, the English club’s director of football.

The Italian side has yet to receive a concrete bid from the Citizens. However, the club’s agreement of personal terms with Koulibaly strongly suggests that a formal offer will follow suit.

It is believed that the 29-year-old Senegalese international central defender was not pushing hard for a move away from Naples when the agreement was reached. However, Koulibaly changed his mind and became keen on signing with City, with his salary expected to double in England.

But Napoli is not letting Koulibaly go for a low price as his transfer fee is expected to be in the region of £70 million ($94 million), the report said.

Amid the heat of his Napoli exit rumors back in July, Koulibaly told Gazzetta dello Sport that he had no intention of leaving his club and is even hoping to end his career with them.

“I also read in the newspapers about my future. But I only want to think about playing, I am 100% [committed to] Napoli and it bothers me to be linked, every day, to this or that European club,” he said.

Prior to agreeing terms with City, salary was one of the primary issues of Koulibaly with Napoli. The player hoped to sign a new contract with the Italian side with a slightly improved salary of €7 million to €8 million ($9 million to $11 million) per season, according to transfer expert Gazzetta dello Sport’s Alfredo Pedullà.

Koulibaly has long been one of the most valuable players in Europe, previously receiving offers of a whopping €100 million ($134 million) from the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Senegal international reportedly rejected all offers as he was waiting for Napoli to grant his request. However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis refused and put Koulibaly available in the transfer market instead, the report added.