Manchester City turn to Spain for Koulibaly alternative

Manchester City have earmarked Sevilla defender Diego Carlos and Atletico Madrid ace Jose Gimenez as potential alternatives to Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, claims The Guardian.

Pep Guardiola is desperate to sign another centre-back before the transfer window closes and City have been heavily linked with a move for Koulibaly all summer.

The Premier League outfit have reportedly already agreed personal terms with Koulibaly but are yet to engage in any formal discussions with Napoli over a fee.

Those inside Napoli are concerned City are reluctant to move ahead with a deal due to their long-standing feud with the club.

City were left furious with Napoli in 2018 after believing they had a deal to sign Jorginho only for the midfielder to join Chelsea.

Napoli are holding out for £73.2m for Koulibaly and City are reluctant to pay so much for someone that turns 30 next summer.

Guardiola's side are exploring other options for now, including LaLiga duo Gimenez and Carlos, who have both been heavily linked to the Premier League in the past.

However, both come with high price tags with release clauses of £109.8m and £68.7m for Gimenez and Carlos, repsectively.

Carlos' reputation has dipped massively since the end of last season after the 27-year-old conceded a penalty in the quarter-finals, last four and final of Sevilla's Europa League campaign.

Gimenez, 25, meanwhile, has regarded as one of the best defenders in Europe and has played a key role in turning Atletico into a formidable outfit at the back.

However, there should be concerns over Gimenez's past with injuries having only managed more than 20 league starts in one of the last six campaigns.