Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has warned Manchester City that they won't get Kalidou Koulibaly on the cheap this summer.
Pep Guardiola is looking to make significant improvements to his squad in the transfer window following a disappointing campaign that produced just a single piece of silverware.
City have made a strong start with the signings of Spanish speedster Ferran Torres and Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake but, despite already signing one centre-back in the Dutchman, the club want to bring in another after their defensive struggles last season.
Koulibaly has been identified as just the man to add the quality that is lacking in the Blues' back-line and he is the club's top transfer target this summer.
Despite speculation to the contrary, M.E.N. Sport understands that City are yet to make a bid for the Senegal international and have not even given Napoli notice that a bid is about to be made.
It's understood that City's valuation of Koulibaly is lower than the price tag that De Laurentiis has slapped on his prized asset and the Napoli's president's most recent comments suggest the saga could run on throughout the window.
"You don't have to ask me if Koulibaly will play for Napoli again," he told RadioKissKiss, via Fabrizio Romano. "You have to ask Manchester United, Manchester City and PSG. They are the teams who can afford to pay certain amounts today.
“I see many buzzards on the transfers market... you know who they are, they seem to be waiting to swoop in, but we have impenetrable armor and they’ll not get what they want or at the prices they want.”
