Cheap Alternatives to Kalidou Koulibaly for Manchester City
By Tom Gott
Pep Guardiola is determined to bring a new centre-back to Manchester City this summer. Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly is at the top of his wish list, but the 29-year-old could cost close to the £80m mark. Obviously, that's not ideal.
If City are unable to convince Napoli to do business for any cheaper, they could end up walking away from the deal. If they do decide to do that, they'll need a few cheaper alternatives to the Senegal international.
Let's take a look at six candidates.
1. Matthias Ginter
Matthias Ginter's name has already been in the headlines this summer as he found himself linked to Chelsea.
The Borussia Mönchengladbach man is the kind of defender Guardiola likes. He's good on the ball and is often relied upon to kick-start attacks. He's ideal for Guardiola's system.
A versatile defender who is comfortable centrally, out on the right or even in midfield, Ginter would help City cover a myriad of positions.
2. Marc Bartra
Guardiola is no stranger to Marc Bartra. The former Barcelona man has regularly been linked with a move to City in years gone by - could this summer finally be the time for the move to go through?
Thanks to his background at La Masia, Bartra plays like Guardiola's ideal centre-back, and he'd definitely come cheaper than Koulibaly. Previous reports have valued him at closer to the £15m mark.
The 29-year-old might not be the dream signing, but he'd likely offer Guardiola a few years of reliable service.
3. Abdou Diallo
Abdou Diallo has already seen a lot of Europe. He enjoyed an impressive year with Borussia Dortmund before being shipped out to Paris Saint-Germain, where he finds himself in and out of the team.
The 24-year-old might be one of the more expensive options on this list - he cost €32m last season and still has four years left on his contract - but he would be worth every penny.
He's solid at the back and comfortable with the ball at his feet, and he looks capable of bringing those qualities to any backline for the majority of the next decade.
4. Mykola Matviyenko
24-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko is a rising star who seems destined to make the move to a top European club in the near future.
The Ukrainian is an aggressive defender who combines that with a touch of class in position. He's comfortable switching the play and can be seen playing what looks like Quarterback role for Shakhtar.
Matviyenko is also an accomplished left-back and could offer Guardiola an alternative to Benjamin Mendy.
5. Iñigo Martínez
City scouts know all about Martínez. They are believed to have been keen on him back in 2018, but after failing to strike a deal, City turning to Aymeric Laporte instead. Now 29, Martínez could be ready to make the switch to the Etihad Stadium this summer.
With a play-style similar to Laporte's, Martínez conforms to Guardiola's idea of the ideal centre-back, and he's still playing at a high enough level to be a regular part of the Spanish national team.
He's not the tallest centre-back and wouldn't bring the kind of physicality that City would get with Koulibaly, but Martínez would still add some much-needed stability to City's defence.
6. Kevin Vogt
Hoffenheim's Kevin Vogt is hardly the most high-profile signing City could go for, but he could prove to be the biggest bargain.
A converted midfielder, 28-year-old Vogt boasts the kind of vision and passing range you'd expect from a midfielder, but has combined that with the physicality and awareness of a defender.
Vogt would be an ideal short-term solution for City, who could save their money and then go out and pursue somebody bigger next summer.