Newcastle are lining up an audacious £82m move for Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to reports surfacing in Italy, though the Magpies could face competition for the exciting winger’s services this summer.
The 22-year-old Georgian was a key member of Napoli’s Serie A title-winning squad last season, lodging 12 goals and ten assists in 30 starts in the division to help the trophy-starved Partenopei to land their first domestic league win since 1990.
Armed with explosive pace and a unique ability to glide past his markers, Kvaratskhelia wowed supporters and opponents alike last term with his devastating displays down the left for Napoli.
Kvaratskhelia still has four years to run on his current deal with Napoli having only arrived at the club from Dinamo Batumi in the summer of 2022 and it would take an enormous offer to convince the outfit’s notoriously tough negotiator and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis to cash in.
The wide attacker has plenty of admirers across the continent and below we’ve taken a close look at the latest transfer odds attached to Kvaratskhelia in the markets along with some possible destinations for the Georgian.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s next club latest odds
Newcastle – 5/2
After this week’s developments and Newcastle’s rumoured £82m bid for the forward, the Magpies have been installed as favourites to land Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli this summer. United boss Eddie Howe is in the market for a new left winger and Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes was thought to be Newcastle’s number one target for that position. However, Newcastle’s concreted move for Kvaratskhelia might be an indication of a shift in primary targets.
Real Madrid – 5/1
Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid are currently listed as second-favourites to sign Kvaratskhelia before September, however, a transfer to Los Blancos feels very unlikely. Real already have wonderkid Vinicius Jr terrorizing defences from the left flank, while any remaining cash in the coffers at Madrid will be used to aid their pursuit of French superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Manchester City – 6/1
Treble-winners Manchester City sit third on the rundown of suitors for Kvaratskhelia according to the bookmakers, though Pep Guardiola could be reluctant to add another £100m player to his options on the left winger, with big-money recruit Jack Grealish already positioned there. Kvaratskhelia could theoretically be deployed on the right side as an inverted winger in Guardiola’s system, though the 22-year-old has never played on that flank for Napoli.
Chelsea – 15/2
Lavish spenders Chelsea are scouring the market for more new blood this summer and with numerous holes to fill in their line up, the Blues could definitely find room for a player of Kvaratskhelia’s calibre. Chelsea famously parted with £89m to sign winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, though the Ukrainian starlet has so far looked a shadow of the player that lit up the Champions League for his old employers.
Arsenal – 8/1
Arsenal have already made some major transfer market moves this summer with the capture of Declan Rice from West Ham, Jurrien Timber from Ajax and Kai Havertz from Chelsea, though their £200m+ outlay so far makes any swoop for Kvaratskhelia all the more unlikely. In Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, the Gunners already wield two of the Premier League’s most effective wingers, so they have little need to pursue Kvaratskhelia this year.
