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Man City, Newcastle and Real Madrid among suitors for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, or ‘Kvaradona’ as he’s known, has had an outstanding season. 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. Both players enjoy playing together and Napoli are flying. It’s basically a procession now to the Serie A title – their first since 1989/90.

It’s going to be incredibly difficult to prize Kvaratskhelia away. He has an intelligent and mesmeric quality to his play. Manchester City fans know all about creative Georgians. Giorgi Kinkladze was a cult figure at the club.

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.

Neymar to Chelsea is not on for now, but multi-club model means exciting 2023 lies ahead

Chelsea are heading into a key period. As reported over the weekend, Graham Potter retains the backing of the board. But there’s an appreciation that the next two games, against Leeds and Dortmund in the Champions League, will be season defining.

The owners are doing everything in their power to give Potter time, even though we all know football is a results-driven business. Potter confirmed over the weekend something I have written on here before, that the owners look to Arsenal, and the patience they showed Mikel Arteta, as an example of why time in football is so important. But Arteta didn’t go on a run of two wins in 15 games and he also secured the FA Cup in his first season.

The ownership’s desire to stick with Potter is genuine and down to a belief he’s the right fit for their vision and model. And he isn’t being judged as quickly as he almost certainly would have been under Roman Abramovich due to a variety of factors – a long list of injuries, new signings who need time to bed in and a squad that’s really too big to keep everyone happy.

As 2023 progresses, Chelsea’s multi-club model will start to take shape and that’s when it will become apparent why the manager, and their buy-in to the broader project, is so significant. As I understand it, Mauricio Pochettino, prior to Potter being appointed, was less convinced by the pitch.

It’s not as easy as you’d think to find the right strategic and personality fit alongside a top coach. That’s ultimately why Thomas Tuchel was sacked, because he had a different philosophy and way of working. It wasn’t really about football, yet of course right now that’s the only thing that’s important to Chelsea in the short-term. This is why fans are so frustrated. They feel, rightly or wrongly, that Tuchel wouldn’t have Chelsea mid-table. Visions are exciting but they mean nothing in the short-term if fans feel the team is moving backwards. Things are getting tense and this is a real test of the ownership’s position.

But the truth is there’s been so much upheaval at Chelsea and that comes with expected chaos. The new owners are so different from the old regime. It’s difficult for people in all roles to handle so much change so fast and that’s why I sense the multi-club part of the business might be slowed down. Either way it will also take time to build. And it’s still unclear whether Chelsea will try to buy outright straight off the bat or minority invest in club. I don’t expect a flurry of clubs to appear overnight. But what is obvious is France is a priority region and there are lots of appealing clubs available on the market there.

There have been fresh links with Strasbourg and Sochaux could still be a possibility, too. Angers is quite an attractive proposition as well to an investor even though they are bottom of Ligue 1.

I think progression on the multi-club model is one to watch in the third and fourth quarters of the year to see whether any movement. It wouldn’t surprise me if the owners are cautious about taking on another new club too quickly before they get a bit of stability at Chelsea. Minority investment is obviously easier and lower risk, but of course full ownership gives you the control, which will be important in the long run.

The plan is to create a multi-club model and the new recruitment team has been built with that in mind. The owners also see attractive propositions in Belgium and Portugal and outside of Europe will assess clubs, as majority owner Behdad Eghbali said on record at a SporticoLive event in December, in Africa and South America. I wouldn’t read too much into any specific club right now because investing in any club takes time. It’s not like a transfer.

Neymar of PSG

And speaking of transfers, a quick word to finish on Neymar. I am told there is no truth Todd Boehly held a meeting with Nasser Al-Khelaifi to specifically discuss bringing Neymar to Stamford Bridge. The pair did briefly and informally meet before PSG’s Champions League tie with Bayern in Paris. But it was more to smooth things over after the failed Hakim Ziyech loan to PSG, which fell through due to delayed paperwork.

Neymar was not discussed and the meeting wasn’t really planned. Boehly just reached out at short notice. Relations between PSG and Chelsea are not exactly at a high point. And if the clubs are to do business going forward some bridge building is needed.

Al-Khelaifi didn’t have lunch or anything formal with Boehly or hold any meaningful business talks. The PSG president actually ate with a Bayern delegation and then spent the rest of the day with Qatar’s Emir.

Neymar is not a priority for Chelsea. PSG aren’t thinking about a sale right now and the Brazilian would surely not want to join a team without Champions League football either. He actually wants to stay in Paris I am told and is healthily contracted. Last summer there was more of an openness to listen to offers yet even then, Neymar stuck to his position and was able to find some form to begin the season.

The main sticking point of any hypothetical move would also be his wages. Chelsea are trying to buy young, offer long-term contracts and reduce their wage bill. Of course there will be exceptions, but Neymar to Chelsea is not something to get too excited about just yet.

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More Stories Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Arthur Melo Ben Jacobs Benoit Badiashile Evan Ndicka Hakim Ziyech James Milner Josko Gvardiol Jurgen Klopp Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Max Kilman Mohamed Salah Naby Keita Neymar Todd Boehly