SportItalia journalist Alfredo Pedulla has boldly predicted that Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly‘s protracted move to Manchester City could be finalised by Friday if one final hurdle in negotiations can be overcome:
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) September 8, 2020
The Serie A club are determined to get at least €75m (£68m) but that does include add-ons. The conditions which would trigger those performance-related bonuses is what is being discussed between the two sides at the moment.
City would like those bonuses to only come into effect if they win the Champions League or the Premier League next season. However, Napoli would like City to pay out if they reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
It does seem as though the deal is now reaching the finer details, which is promising, considering how long it has taken to get to this point. Multiple sources have claimed that the main reason for the slow negotiations has been City’s refusal to speak directly with Napoli. All talks have been funnelled through Koulibaly’s agent Fali Ramadani. Luckily, other interested parties, such as Manchester United and Liverpool, have not made any move to hijack the transfer.