MANCHESTER CITY are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a £60million deal with Napoli for defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
But the stats show that the 29-year-old has his weaknesses when compared to Premier League stars Virgil van Dijk and Harry Maguire.
Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, claimed City will sign the Senegal international as Pep Guardiola overhauls his defence.
The Spaniard was priced out of a move for Manchester United captain Maguire last summer.
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And the stats prove why Guardiola was desperate to land the England star first as he beats Koulibaly in several key areas.
Maguire won over twice as many aerial duals than the Serie A ace, while making more clearances and interceptions per match.
He also didn’t make a single error leading to a league goal despite playing more minutes than any other footballer in the world.
Yet Koulibaly really shines ahead of Maguire when the ball is on the floor.
The Senegalese boasts a much better pass completion rate than his rival, a must for any defender hoping to play out from the back at the Etihad.
Koulibaly also makes over double the tackles Maguire makes per game and recovers the ball more often.
He is set to be City’s next-big money arrival following reports earlier this week that suggested the Etihad side were ready to splash out £63million.
The Premier League runners-up have already signed Nathan Ake from Bournemouth for £41m as they look to mount another title charge next season.
Meanwhile Arsenal are are on the brink of completing their swoop for Gabriel Magalhaes after Koulibaly agreed to join City.
Napoli had hoped to bring the Brazilian in as his replacement but are instead looking at Shakhtar Donetsk ace Matvienko – himself a January transfer target for the Gunners.
Gabriel, meanwhile, is set to complete his £22m move to the Emirates in the coming days.
