Napoli Strained Relations With Manchester City May Prevent Koulibaly Transfer

Kalidou Koulibaly is hoping to join Manchester City, but the only way the 29-year-old football player can leave is if SSC Napoli’s asking price is met. Nothing has come close to that, which means the center-back could find himself staying at San Paolo Stadium for now.

In the eyes of Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Koulibaly is likely to stay with them unless City or any other club can meet their asking price demands. Aside from the Sky Blues, other clubs that have been linked to the Senegal player include Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

"Koulibaly has a precise asking price, and if the club doesn't get the money it is asking for, then he won't leave," Gattuso said to Sky Sport Italia.

But it appears money is not the only problem hindering the move. There appears to be some friction between City and Napoli, something that can be traced back to the Jorginho sale to Chelsea, according to Gli Azzurri president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

"How can we have a normal and calm negotiation with Manchester City to sell Koulibaly?" the Napoli chief said. "They won’t talk directly with us because of the Jorginho deal two years ago."

According to earlier reports, De Laurentiis appeared ready to move forward without Koulibaly and Arkadiusz Milik. Both players are linked to potential transfers, but it remains that unless the asking fee is met, no deal is done.

However, figuring out whether or not Koulibaly and Milik will be gone is a need for Napoli. De Laurentiis needs to find replacements, and this can only happen once the club knows which position needs to be filled.

"Koulibaly and Milik are both on their way out, transfer market permitting," De Laurentiis said. "So, if the transfer market allows us to sell these two excellent players, we will know how to replace them. If not, then we’ll discuss it again next year."

Milik was not around when Napoli routed Pescara in a friendly match, 4-0. His contract runs out in 2021, and the Polish player has been linked to a possible move to Roma. Gli Azzurri wants to cash in on the 26-year-old rather than lose him next summer via free transfer.