Kvaratskhelia demands Napoli exit – PSG leading the race to sign Georgian winger in January

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€80m fee reported 

©IMAGO

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia looks set to swap Naples for Paris this month, with multiple reports suggesting that the Napoli forward is set to complete a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the coming days. According to L’Equipe, the Georgian international will cost the Ligue 1 giants around €80 million, making him the club’s fourth most expensive signing ever. Napoli reportedly turned down the opportunity to sell the winger prior to the start of this season for €120m, but are now being forced to sell him in this transfer window due to the player making a very clear demand to depart the club as soon as possible. 

In a press conference on Saturday, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte confirmed that Kvaratskhelia was pushing for a departure from the club in the current transfer window. “Kvaratskhelia has asked to leave the club,” Conte said in his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “I spoke to Khvicha and he confirmed his plan to leave the club immediately.” The 23-year-old winger made the move to Napoli in 2022, when the Italian giants signed him for just €13.3m from Dinamo Batumi. Although the Serie A side may have hoped to earn more from the sale of Kvaratskhelia, a fee in the region of €80m will still be the second highest transfer fee the club has ever received for one of their players, coming just short of the €90m Juventus paid for striker Gonzalo Higuaín in 2016. 

While Kvaratskhelia won’t break any records at PSG for the size of his transfer fee, his move to the French capital will still undoubtedly be seen as a symbolic gesture by the club. Following the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid in the summer, the Ligue 1 side have struggled to find a new figurehead for their team going forward. Recent signings like Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos have struggled to live up to the hype provided by their transfer fees, while young forwards Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué haven’t yet jumped at the opportunity to step into Mbappé considerable shoes. In stark contrast, Kvaratskhelia has not only led the line for Napoli for a number of years now, but also helped his national team qualify for their first ever international tournament at last year’s European Championships. And in many ways, the young winger’s maturity and match-winning ability far surpasses his years. Which may make him the perfect heir to Mbappé’s thrown.