Former EPL champions Manchester City step up pursuit for Napoli star

EPL giants Manchester City are reportedly set to break the bank for Serie A star Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese centre-half is hailed as one of the finest defenders in world football and has been immense in Napoli blue for several years.

Koulibaly was linked with a handful of big-money moves in the past, but Napoli refused to sell him. He was most notably involved in a drawn-out saga with City's EPL rivals Manchester United. The 29-year-old was the Red Devils' priority target for a considerable while as they looked to shore up their defence.

United turned their attention to Maguire after they failed to recruit Koulibaly

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis made it clear that he valued his star man at a much higher price than what the 13-time EPL winners offered him.

United then turned their attention towards Harry Maguire and purchased him for a mammoth £80m. This was the most expensive centre-back purchase in the world, let alone the EPL, surpassing Virgil van Dijk's £75m fee.

EPL giants City to breach €400m-mark spent on defenders

Koulibaly was a colossus in the recently-concluded Coppa Italia

Now, reports coming out of Spain suggest that City could reignite their interest in the defender. Mundo Deportivo believe that Pep Guardiola could go all in for Napoli's warrior come transfer window. The report states that the former recently dethroned EPL champions could strike a deal for Koulibaly for a fee of €80m.

Although De Laurentiis once boldly claimed that he wouldn't sell the Senegalese even for €105m, there is a belief that an agreement could be found. Koulibaly just turned 29 and is in his prime, which means this could be the last summer where the Napoli chief can command a substantial fee.

Also given the financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be a sensible move for Napoli and De Laurentiis. For Manchester City, however, the situation is slightly trickier.

7.6 - Kalidou Koulibaly is the defender to have made the most recoveries per game on average in the 2010s in the Italian top-flight: 7.6 (1307 in 172 appearances). Lyon.#Opta2010s #OptaTopXI pic.twitter.com/250XWe4hG0

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 31, 2019

Should the EPL giants complete this transfer, it would take Pep Guardiola's total expenditure on defenders up to the €400m-mark — a figure that no manager has ever spent on a defence. It would be the most expensive defence ever assembled, including the likes of Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, and others.

City, however, are currently second on the EPL table and lost out the title to Liverpool by an astonishing 23 points. Their incredible spending spree on defenders coupled with such a concerining season has not gone unnoticed.

7 - Manchester City suffered their seventh defeat of the Premier League campaign, making 2019-20 the season in which Pep Guardiola has lost the most league games in his managerial career. Unfamiliar. #MNUMCI pic.twitter.com/Sz8N8deELo

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2020

Regardless of the performances and integration of the new players, it's worth noting that City have suffered a lot of injuries. Laporte and Benjamin Mendy have struggled with since their arrival into the EPL. The latter, in particular, has missed almost 90 games for his side since joining in the summer of 2017.

When fit, though, the former is undoubtedly one of the best centre-halves the EPL has to offer. Should City purchase Koulibaly, one could argue that the Frenchman and the Senegalese would be the best centre-back pairing in the EPL. It remains to be seen if Guardiola's side will be in a position to part ways with a club-record €80m fee, however.