SportItalia journalist Alfredo Pedulla has confirmed Chelsea “made an attempt” to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly before opting to snap up Thiago Silva on a free transfer instead.

With the Blues now firmly out of the race, it means Manchester City are in pole position to sign the Senegalese international. It was thought that the Citizens had taken a step back in negotiations but Pedulla claims a fresh round of talks could take place next week.

The main issue is the lack of communication between the two clubs. City are still unhappy with how Napoli dealt with Jorginho’s transfer two years ago so agent Fali Ramadani has had to be used as an intermediary.

Pedulla reports that if Pep Guardiola’s side offers €70m (£62m) plus bonuses for Koulibaly, president Aurelio De Laurentiis may well lower his €80m (£71m) asking price in order to get the deal done, but no official bid is currently on the table.