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'You should ask Man Utd, Man City or PSG' - Napoli president De Laurentiis deflects questions over Koulibaly's future
The 29-year-old has been tipped to join a club in the Premier League or Ligue 1, but the Serie A side continue to insist he won't be sold cheaply
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has deflected questions over the future of defender Kalidou Koulibaly, saying that they should be answered by Manchester United, Manchester City and PSG.
Koulibaly has long been linked with a move to a bigger club, with several of Europe's top sides watching the 29-year-old's performances in Italy closely.
De Laurentiis was asked again about Koulibaly's future on Tuesday and instead directed the question towards a few of the only sides he believes can afford the Senegal star.
“You should ask Manchester United, City or PSG this question,” he said. “In other words, those who can afford to pay certain amounts."
Referring to Koulibaly and in-demand midfielder Allan, De Laurentiis sent out a warning to clubs he called "buzzards", who are looking to Napoli for a bargain.
“I see many buzzards on the transfers market," De Laurentiis continued. "You know who they are, they seem to be waiting to swoop in, but we have impenetrable armour and they won't get what they want or at the prices they want."
Though he issued a warning on Tuesday, De Laurentiis did admit last month that Koulibaly could be sold if his asking price is met.
"Kalidou is a great person, I would be terribly sad to lose him - but there is a time for everything, even to move apart," De Laurentiis told Sky Italia.
As reports over a move to City continue to circulate, the club's former captain Richard Dunne tipped Koulibaly to join Pep Guardiola's side, a club he says still needs a leader to replace Vincent Kompany.
“They have spoken about Koulibaly for a while and they are looking for a leader, they are looking for someone to replace Vincent Kompany. It’s been a problem when Vince was here and he was injured, they missed a centre-back of that style," Dunne told Sky Sports.
Dunne also said City should be interested in RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano, who impressed in his side's run to the Champions League semi-final.
“If they do go for him [Koulibaly], it’s a good signing," Dunne continued. "He’s a bit older than the usual age bracket of signing players and we’ve seen in the Champions League how good Upamecano has been, so maybe he’s a player that might be of interest to them."
