Manchester City are yet to make an offer for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with Aurelio de Laurentiis demanding they send an ‘official email’ if they are to get their man.
City have been heavily linked with the Senegalese defender for the last few months, with Pep Guardiola determined to improve his defence this summer.
It’s believed that negotiations between the two clubs have been ongoing through the player’s agent Fali Ramadani, who is acting as an intermediary due to their poor relationship caused by Jorginho’s move to Chelsea two years ago.
Manchester City believed they had signed the midfielder from Napoli at the time, but he ended up moving to Chelsea last minute, a ‘wound’ that ‘still burns’ at the Etihad.
Thus Ramadani has been acting as a go-between to broker a potential mega-deal, something it seems Napoli owner De Laurentiis isn’t happy with according to journalist Ciro Venerato.
“Kalidou Koulibaly? Manchester City is ready to close his purchase,” he told Radio Goal on Kiss Kiss Napoli.
“But at the moment Napoli tells me that official or unofficial offers did not come from City or from Fali Ramadani, agent of the Franco-Senegalese player.
“There is a desire to make an offer, but at the moment there are no official offers, the president expects them directly from the City and not from Ramadani.
“The owner wants the English club to present a proposal through an official email.
“Ramadani made it clear that City still values the player a lot. I don’t think City will invest 75 million for Koulibaly, I don’t know if it will be 70 or less, but this is the situation.”
So, then, it seems Manchester City will have to start doing things via the more official routes if they are to get this one over the line.
In truth, it’s all just a bit of extra dramatics from De Laurentiis, who really can’t help himself when it comes to these things.
The positive, if you’re a City fan, is that everyone else in Italy is reporting positive things on the deal with even Ramadani said to be ‘convinced’ the solution is close.
If that is the case, perhaps that official email, or even a nice letter with Manchester City headings and everything, can finally bring the saga to an end.
