Napoli are in a tough spot right now. Although they have just appointed a serial winner in Antonio Conte as coach, their chaotic title defence last season has left them vulnerable in the transfer market.
The future of striker Victor Osimhen has been in the headlines for some time, but over recent weeks, that of Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskheilia has become more and more unclear.
Clubs all over Europe have been keeping an eye on the man known as ‘Kvaradona’. Here, we’ve ranked his top five most suitable options, in ascending order.
Real Madrid
When a player of Kvaratskhelia’s obvious skillset becomes available, Real Madrid will always be in and around the conversation. No club operates in the transfer market quite like them; whoever they want, they get. The 23-year-old’s standing as his country’s obvious talisman and leader, and all the marketing prospects that brings, means this is cynically quite a good fit.
But the reality is this deal has next to no chance of happening. Why? Well, the Galáctico signings to end them all has already been announced.
Kylian Mbappe’s protracted move to the Santiago Bernabeu will already give Carlo Ancelotti a big enough headache of who to play on the left, with Vinicius Junior also putting in a Ballon d’Or-worthy performance last season. He doesn’t need Kvaratskhelia clogging up his mind as well, no matter how much he might want him.
READ: Kylian Mbappe was a no-brainer signing who Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti did not need
Chelsea
No matter how unlikely you may think Kvaratskhelia to Chelsea is, it simply cannot be ruled out. Despite consistently saying he wants to build for the long term at Stamford Bridge, Todd Boehly has made Roman Abramovich look like the most patient man in the world. He has changed managers so often that there are no real discernible foundations for new boss Enzo Maresca to build from.
And yet, Boehly has not been shy of spending money. Whether it is Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo, he has not shied away from the big money battles. That is what Kvaratshkelia would command.
There aren’t many worse places for him to go in terms of his own career development, with the dressing rooms famously not being big enough to house the squad. But it is hard to think of a club more willing and seemingly able to do this deal given the chance.
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Manchester City
Some may salivate at the idea of someone as tactically astute as Pep Guardiola working with a free spirit like Kvaratskhelia. Others may squirm. As undeniably brilliant as Guardiola is, his philosophy works like clockwork; a finely tuned machine that looks on the pitch exactly as it does in his head. All variables controlled to as greater level as possible, leading to results because he knows their strengths and crucially, the opposition’s weaknesses.
There isn’t much room for free spirits. If Kvaratskhelia were to move to Manchester City, he may have to toe the line and lose some of the spark that has become his trademark. Statistically, with 39 goal contributions to his name in the last two seasons, he is efficient enough for Guardiola. But it is his dribbling skills which make him special, and having seen Jack Grealish’s creativity stunted by the order at City, perhaps this wouldn’t be the best fit.
But he has been linked this summer as Guardiola considers a shift of emphasis in what could soon be a post-Kevin de Bruyne era.
Paris Saint-Germain
Here we go, into the realms of the strongest suitability. It may be too simplistic to simply say that because PSG lost their superstar in Mbappe, they must buy an immediate replacement. But like Madrid, marketability and therefore perception, matter. Mbappe will leave a void in Luis Enrique’s side, and it’ll need someone supremely talented to fill it.
Kvaratskhelia doesn’t have the same brash personality of his perspective predecessor. But perhaps that is why this deal makes sense. PSG want to replace Mbappe with someone as close to matching his talent as possible, but given the politics and squad disharmony which comes from simply buying the biggest stars in the game, now would be a time for a more modest, humble group with as much elite ability as possible. In that sense, Kvaratskhelia might just be the perfect replacement for their outgoing hero.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s ability to accommodate Kvaratskhelia is not that dissimilar to PSG’s, though the context is wildly different. Liverpool have an existing harmonious, well-working structure, but it is set to take a transitional turn once Arne Slot officially begins work after replacing Jürgen Klopp.
Nobody quite know what that could mean for the playing squad, but with Luis Diaz constantly being linked with a move to Barcelona and the long-term future of Mohamed Salah up in the air, perhaps they could move for Kvaratskhelia. Salah’s contract expires in a year’s time, and perhaps now is the time for long-term planning. Kvaratskhelia is the sort of star, like the Egyptian, who suits Liverpool. He is one of the best players in the world, but wouldn’t upset the balance of the squad,
His reported valuation is €100m may keep him out of the Reds’ reach, but few players would instantly light up Anfield like him.
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