TV pundit Chris Sutton thinks Manchester City should be considering a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly to rectify their defensive problems.

Manager Pep Guardiola confirmed yesterday that John Stones could be out for five weeks while Aymeric Laporte is not expected to be back well into the New Year. It leaves the Citizens with just one fit senior centre-back in Nicolas Otamendi.

After watching Koulibaly command Napoli’s backline in the 2-0 win against Liverpool last night, Sutton believes City should be considering a January bid for him:

“I wonder if Manchester City’s scouts were watching him, too, given their predicament at the back. The Senegal star has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. He’s 28 now and a supremely athletic, powerful player.”

“Of course he’d cost a pretty penny, but he has all the attributes that a manager such as Pep Guardiola would want in a central defender.”

To say the centre-back will cost a “pretty penny” is an understatement. He currently has a €150m (£133m) release clause, which has already put off the likes of Manchester United in the past.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly determined to keep hold of Koulibaly and City would have a massive challenge on their hands to persuade the Serie A club into selling up.