Jules Kounde transfer: Man City target Sevilla centre-back as defensive search continues

With the transfer window closing on October 5, Pep Guardiola's Man City are looking to make some final additions to their squad for the hectic 2020-21 campaign. The Cityzens have been in search of a solid centre-back and have been heavily linked with moves for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez. However, reports now claim that Man City are targeting Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde in order to bolster their defence and are close to reaching an agreement with the Spanish club over the transfer of the young Frenchman. 

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Man City transfer news: Jules Kounde transfer to Etihad a done deal? 

Reports from Spanish publication AS have linked Jules Kounde to Man City and claimed that the Europa League champions have already agreed a transfer fee to part ways with the young centre-back. It is believed that the transfer for Jules Kounde to Man City will cost the English giants a whopping €60m (£55m). Previous reports claimed that Sevilla had demanded around €70m (£64m) for Kounde but the Spanish club are now willing to accept Man City's €60m (£55m) bid which will see Kounde move to Manchester on a five-year contract.

However, reports from Mundo Deportivo claim that Sevilla are trying to get the maximum amount of revenue from Man City for Kounde. Both reports suggest that an agreement for Jules Kounde to Man City will be completed in the next few days. Kounde is considered as a back-up option for Man City if they fail to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli this summer. 

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Man City transfer news: Latest on Koulibaly transfer

Man City have long been in the hunt for a centre-back this summer and snapped up Nathan Ake from Bournemouth last month. However, due to an injury to Aymeric Laporte, City identified Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly as a potential replacement for the Frenchman to fill in during the early parts of the campaign. Reports claim that negotiations between Man City and Napoli have come to a standstill, though. Koulibaly played the full 90 minutes for Napoli in their opening Serie A game against Parma.

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Although it's widely believed that a deal for Koulibaly to Man City has collapsed, reports from The Guardian have stated that this is not completely true. It was previously reported that Man City were unwilling to match Napoli's asking price for the defender. Reports also linked Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez to Man City this summer but Los Rojiblancos are unwilling to sell the Uruguayan. 

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Image Credits - Jules Kounde Instagram