Napoli sporting director tells Sky in Italy: "I think Koulibaly is staying, we are very happy and so is he. He has three years on his current deal, I believe he is staying."
Sunday 27 September 2020 17:22, UK
Manchester City target Kalidou Koulibaly will stay at Napoli this summer, according to the Serie A club's sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.
The 29-year-old was City's primary target for defensive reinforcements as Pep Guardiola's side look to bring in a right-sided centre-half to back up the signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth in August.
However, Koulibaly's price tag has been too far out of reach for City and they have now focused their efforts elsewhere, with a deal for Benfica defender Ruben Dias seemingly edging closer.
"Our squad is complete, so will now try to release players who won't have much time on the pitch," Giuntoli told Sky in Italy before Napoli's Serie A game against Genoa on Sunday afternoon.
"I think Koulibaly is staying, we are very happy and so is he. He has three years on his current deal, I believe he is staying."
Giuntoli also said the club is confident on finding a deal to sell Arkadiusz Milik, after reports this week linking the striker with a move to Tottenham and Everton.
The 26-year-old was set to move to Roma in a move which saw Edin Dzeko on the verge of joining Juventus but talks with the Poland international over his Napoli exit terms ultimately broke down.
"We evaluate, choose and sign players all together," Giuntoli said.
"We needed a striker who could hold up the ball, Arkadiusz Milik didn't want to stay, so we sought a different approach with [former Lille striker Victor] Osimhen and Andrea Petagna.
"The transfer market is open for another week, and we agree 80 per cent of the deals in the last few days. We are confident that we can get a deal done that will suit both us and Milik."
The summer transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday October 5 with a feast of activity lined up on Transfer Deadline Day on Sky Sports News and across our Sky Sports platforms.
A domestic-only window for deals between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday October 16 at 5pm. Follow all the news and analysis on SSN and across Sky Sports' digital platforms, including with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
