Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Mulling Over Bargain Defender to Replace Injured Benjamin Mendy

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is believed to be considering a cut-price January move for Napoli full-back Faouzi Ghoulam, who will be out of contract next summer after failing to agree terms with the current Serie A leaders. Guardiola is desperate to find a replacement for the injured Benjamin Mendy, who is set to miss most of the season with a horrifying knee injury.

As reported by the Sun, the Citizens will join the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in their pursuit of the talented Algerian - who Napoli are reportedly willing to let go for as little as £3m as they are eager not to lose the player without receiving some form of payment for his services. Ghoulam is now in his fifth season at Napoli, having joined from Saint Etienne in 2013.

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Manchester City are believed to be hopeful of opening talks with Napoli ahead of their Champions League clash next week, as Ghoulam has refused the offer of a higher salary with Napoli in pursuit of a new challenge away from Serie A. The current Premier League leaders are thought to be willing to offer the 26-year-old a lucrative salary of around  £90k-per-week.

Ghoulam has taken his time to rise to the top, but is now widely considered to be one of the best defenders in Serie A. Having made a name for himself with Ligue Un also-rans Saint Etienne, Ghoulam was snapped up by Napoli and worked tirelessly to establish himself as a key player in the Partenopei Gli Azzurri back-line.