Manchester City failed with €65m bid for Serie A defender

Manchester City saw a late €65m (£59.5m) bid for Kalidou Koulibaly rejected by Napoli, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia.

Pep Guardiola was desperate to bolster his defensive options during the summer but failed to land any of his main targets.

Chelsea failed with a €55m (£50.4m) for the Senegal international 12 months ago and Napoli were once again on hand to reject City’s improved offer this time around.

It means that City’s hopes of success this season almost entirely hinge on the fitness of Vincent Kompany, as their defence tends to collapse without the presence of the Belgium international.

Napoli would also have been aware of the fact that they are due to play City in the Champions League group stages this season and that would have been an even bigger blow to strengthen a main rival.

Since August 2015, only Francesco Acerbi (376) and Miranda (299) have won possession in the defensive third more times than Koulibaly (289) in Serie A.