City have been rocked by the long-term injury to £52m summer signing Benjamin Mendy.
The French full-back made a glittering start to his career in England but is now set for lengthy spell out with a horror knee problem.
The Sun claim Pep Guardiola wants to dip into the transfer market this winter to help cope with Mendy’s absence.
And it is said that he has Algerian ace Ghoulam in his sights.
The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and is free to speak to to potential suitors over a free transfer next summer.
But The Sun say City believe that can land him for just £3m in January and are willing to hand him wages of £90,000-a-week with a hefty signing-on bonus.
Liverpool and Chelsea are also reportedly keen on the Serie A star who is looking for a new challenge rather than extend his terms in Italy.
City are looking to hold talks with Napoli after they face each other in the Champions League at the Etihad next week.
A City source told The Sun: “Ghoulam has been looked at for a while and Pep is very much interested.
“City play Napoli next week and are hoping to steal a march on others about a deal. He’s free to speak to English clubs soon.
“Pep is looking for a cheap replacement for Mendy and the scouts have reported some good things.”
Ghoulam joined Napoli from French side Saint-Etienne in 2014 and made close to 150 appearances for the club.
