Manchester City rebuffed in efforts to land promising centre-back

Manchester City have seen a €55m bid for centre-back Jules Kounde rejected by LaLiga side Sevilla, reports Spanish publication Marca. 

City are in the market for another defender before the transfer window closes next month, despite the big money capture of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth. 

Indeed, City have been linked with moves for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Atletico Madrid man Jose Gimenez, while Kounde is another who has cropped up on their radar. 

However, Sevilla have rejected the Premier League side's big money offer for the 21-year-old, who excelled in his debut season in Spain following his arrival from Bordeaux. 

Kounde started 25 of 38 league matches last term, yielding a WhoScored rating of 6.87 in 2019/10 as he quickly established himself as a first team regular under Julen Lopetegui. 

As such, Sevilla would only be prepared to sell if Kounde's €90m release clause is matched, which comes as a blow for City. 

Pep Guardiola's side have endured a sub-par transfer window so far, bringing in just Ake and Ferran Torres from Valencia as they seek to wrestle the Premier League title back away from Liverpool.