Manchester City and Newcastle are among the potential transfer suitors for Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ahead of the summer, according to Ben Jacobs in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
The Georgia international has been one of the stories of the season in European football, moving in a relatively low-key and low-cost deal in the summer before rising to stardom in Serie A.
It seems inevitable now that there will be top clubs ready to pay big money for Kvaratskhelia in the summer, and Jacobs says Man City, Newcastle, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the names to look out for.
He adds, however, that Napoli are unlikely to let the 22-year-old leave without a fight, and that his value has likely skyrocketed to as high as £100million or more.
“Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, or ‘Kvaradona’ as he’s known, has had an outstanding season,” Jacobs wrote. “11 months ago the Georgian winger was playing for Dinamo Batumi in the Georgian league, and let’s not forget he only ended up there from Rubin Kazan due to FIFA sanctions on Russian clubs.
“Napoli signed him for just £8.5m, and, believe it or not, that fee was deemed relatively high at the time. Now it’s a bargain. The 22-year-old has 17 goals and got 15 assists in all competitions this season and has developed a prolific partnership with Victor Osimhen.
“Manchester City and Newcastle are two Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Kvaratskhelia. He is also drawing attention from PSG and Real Madrid. Eddie Howe, in particular, sees Kvaratskhelia as a fit because he’s fast, technical and a natural in a 4-3-3.
“Napoli don’t want to sell. It really is as simple as that. And they definitely don’t want a summer where they let Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia go.”
He added: “Kvaratskhelia isn’t yet eyeing up a Napoli exit. And the idea he’ll be available for £50m is a bit of a myth. It wouldn’t surprise me if Napoli value him at close to double that.
“But this isn’t a case of Napoli offering up a price to suitors. They don’t want to engage. Kvaratskhelia’s agent is exploring the market as part of a normal due diligence. There’s no doubt he’ll have plenty of summer options. But Napoli is the perfect club for Kvaradona right now.”
Kvaratskhelia would be a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s style of football, perhaps providing an upgrade on the inconsistent Jack Grealish, or replacing someone like Bernardo Silva, whose future seems unclear.
Newcastle, meanwhile, would benefit hugely from bringing in a talent of this calibre to get their ambitious project going.