Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly among the clubs monitoring Napoli’s high-flying winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Azzurri president Aurelio De Laurentiis only has a few months to secure the Georgian’s future ahead of the summer transfer window, when Victor Osimhen is also expected to depart.
De Laurentiis is believed to be intent on ensuring Napoli don’t lose both of their star performers in the same window. Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia are leading the club’s scoring charts with 20 Serie A goals between them.
And while Osimhen’s exit is almost a certainty, Kvaratskhelia could yet stay put for another year. According to journalist Ciro Venerato, his contract situation is still up in the air as he waits for a wage hike significant enough to stop his head being turned in the summer.
Napoli are reportedly keen to postpone Kvaratskhelia’s exit until 2025 and negotiate a release clause in the meantime, ensuring they get a fair price when the 23-year-old eventually moves on.
Liverpool and Chelsea are understood to be ‘following’ the situation with a view to capitalising at the end of the season. But as it stands, it appears as though Blues co-owner Todd Boehly has the upper hand.
Not only have Chelsea shown a greater willingness to shell out the kind of nine-figure transfer fee that may be required to land Kvaratskhelia, Calciomercato reported late last year that the Londoners were in pole position to sign the Napoli star.
