Liverpool may be contemplating a move to signal Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – whether he deserves to leave the club in this window of movement.
Kvaratskhelia, 23, has established herself as one of Europe’s leading strikers since joining Russia’s Rubin Kazan in the summer of 2022.
The Georgia foreigner is under contract at Napoli until June 2027 and the lack of motion related to a new deal has encouraged interest related to a resolution to instruct him.
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Paris Saint-Germajor emerge as the top contenders, while Kvaratskhelia is also on the list of potential targets for the likes of Chelsea.
Napoli is in no hurry to lose a player who has earned 30 goals and added 29 assists in 107 appearances for the club and would promote significant fees.
Liverpool are also keeping an eye on the situation, they are well supplied in the wide attacking spaces as they go by. The maximum effective position in Kvaratskhelia.
That means it can make a sense to start creating area for an addition like Kvaratskhelia, regardless of Napoli’s interest in Federico Chiesa, who has presented slightly since his move to Liverpool from Juventus last August.
Liverpool are not particularly chasing a player of Kvaratskhelia’s profile, but he is someone they look up to, hold on to and will be in a position to deal with if it becomes a market opportunity.
Kvaratskhelia’s teammate Giorgi Mamardashvili signed with Liverpool last August and will arrive from Valencia in July.
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Liverpool’s technique in the January window is that they will move up to Arne Slot’s team if a special market opportunity arises that makes sense in the long term.
If Napoli were willing to sell Kvaratskhelia’s caliber at an appropriate value this month, the call would be clear.
Liverpool did not promote their team last January, however, they have shown in the past winter windows that they will respond temporarily and decisively if there is a horny deal to be made.
The signings of Cody Gakpo (from PSV in January 2023) and Luis Diaz (from Porto in January 2022) were examples of Liverpool temporarily moving for players they originally intended to pursue the following summer when it became obvious that they needed to be halfway through the season.
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The scenario related to plans to make squads is unclear through the fact that Liverpool do not know precisely in the spaces they will want until the end of the season as the contract talks to Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold Rumble.
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Kvaratskhelia erupted into the broadest consciousness, a riveting 2022-23 crusade at Napoli, where 12 goals and thirteen assists in the league brought Luciano Spalletti’s look to his first Serie A name in 33 years. Son of the greatest football – “Kvaradona”.
The 2023-24 season has been less spectacular, with Napoli rubbing shoulders with tenth in the league after Spalleti’s departure. He has five purposes out of 17 Serie A appearances, as Napoli have re-emerged as name contenders – they’ve been at the bottom of the table lately.
What is its secret? Watching Kvaratskhelia is another seeing the ultimate left-wing actors: he is physically taller and more frowned upon, with his idiosyncratic status dribbling style. But those traits, combined with a very past technical ability, force defenders to make past and hasty decisions, and he, and he, and he is then quick, strong, and ambidextrous to pass through the other side.
He ranked well for carries in the penalty domain and progressive reaches. Their attacking game also has a variety. In the 2023-24 season, only 52% of his shot-making moves, referring to the two attacking moves that led to a shot, came here from open Playon passes, the third-lowest rate among Serie A strikers this season.
In this sense, Kvaratskhelia is necessarily independent of the system. He wants the ball at his feet and then creates his own chances.
(Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)