Manchester City target open to playing at the Etihad

Manchester City’s defense has been one of the main reasons why Pep Guardiola and his men have tasted immense success. The introduction of Ruben Dias into the City setup has proved to be a touch of genius. City’s defense is easily among the best, if not the best, in Europe.

Aymeric Laporte was City’s record signing before Dias was bought by the defending Premier League champions. Dias however, formed a successful partnership with John Stones and that saw Laporte being pushed down the pecking order.

Having said that, Laporte is back into the City setup this season but John Stones finally seemed to have earned back his place in the City XI, now that Laporte faces a suspension following his red card at St. James’ Park.

Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the defenders that has been linked with a move to Manchester City in recent months.

The Napoli defender’s physicality and the occasional goal-scoring ability make him a valuable asset. In other words, Koulibaly is tipped to succeed in England.

In a recently concluded interview by Italian football journalist Valter De Maggio via Arena Napoli, Koulibaly said:

"“‘If I decided to leave Napoli, I would only do it for two, maximum three clubs in the world.“‘I’m talking about [Pep] Guardiola’s Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona at the most.“‘But believe me: I would never go to Juventus: I could not betray the Napoli fans’.“From these words, you can understand the value of the man Koulibaly.”Source: Arena Napoli"

The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been heavily linked with Koulibaly but have never come close to signing him. Having said that, Aymeric Laporte is tipped to return to Spain for a regular spot in the XI which would guarantee him playing time. This past summer, the Athletic Bilbao man was linked with a move to Barcelona.

The situation has changed this season though. Pep Guardiola is back to trusting Laporte but with John Stones eager to snatch back his place in the XI, one can never be sure.