Napoli president on Koulibaly
Napoli are still awaiting what they consider to be an acceptable offer for Kalidou Koulibaly, according to the club’s president.
City are interested in signing the highly rated defender, but it’s understood that they’ll walk away from any potential deal if it’s too expensive, having already bolstered Pep Guardiola’s backline with the £41m signing of Nathan Ake from relegated Bournemouth.
"Without a great offer he does not move,” said Napoli's president Aurelio Di Laurentiis.
Zinchenko issues statement after backlash
Aleks Zinchenko has defended his comments and those of his new wife Vlada Sedan about Manchester City's Champions League loss to Lyon.
Pep Guardiola was heavily criticised after the 3-1 defeat in Lisbon last week, and the manager's tactics were disputed by sports presenter Sedan on her vlog as she discussed the game with Zinchenko. That prompted a reaction from City supporters, with some unhappy that the partner of a player had gone public with questioning the decisions of the manager.
Zinchenko has since written a lengthy post on his Instagram page in an attempt to clarify the comments that they both made about the game, adding that he has taken time out from his own wedding in order to try to address the issue.
UEFA president hints that single-leg knockout matches may return
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has hinted that the single-leg format used in the knockout rounds of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League may come back in the future.
City exited the competition at the quarter-final stage for the third consecutive season, with their 3-1 loss to Lyon played on neutral ground in Portugal.
“We were forced to do it but in the end we see that we found out something new. So we will think about it in the future for sure,” Ceferin told Reuters.
“(There has been) not so much tactics. If it is one match, if one team scores then the other has to score as soon as possible. If it is two-legged system then there is still time to win the next match.
“More exciting matches for sure but of course we also have to think about the fact that we have less matches and broadcasters (can) say ‘you don’t have as many matches as before, this is different’ so we will have to discuss when this crazy situation ends.”
