Ex-Rubin Kazan winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose contract with the Russian club has been temporarily suspended due to Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, is turning heads across Europe with his availability in the summer. The Georgia international is currently at a crossroads in his career, with two top European heavyweights sniffing around for his signature.
Arsenal were touted to be leading the race for him, but it has been revealed that the Premier League blocked its top-tier clubs from signing players freed up by FIFA, fearing that opening the English market ‘could undermine the integrity of the competition’. With that cleared out of the way, Italian giants Napoli have been handed a huge boost for enigmatic 21-year-old winger.
According to Area Napoli, Napoli have a good chance of landing him in the summer from Georgian champions Dinamo Batumi, where he is currently contracted until the end of the season.
Although his contract at Kazan will expire only in the summer of 2024, future regulations are yet unknown with the conflict in eastern Europe still ongoing. However, Dinamo Batumi confirmed earlier that he is no longer owned by the Russian club.
Speaking to SerieANews.com, Dinamo Batumi director Vladimir Dvalishvili shed light on the attacker’s current standing in terms of club allegiances, commenting that the club have signed him as a free agent.
He said: “His agent is an old friend of mine. He told me that we would have the chance to take him to Batumi, I was happy and I immediately said yes. He will decide where to go next. He has reached and signed an agreement with his former club to terminate the contract. He came to us as a free agent and will not return to Rubin Kazan.”
When quizzed about links with Napoli, he said he would be ‘happy’ to see him leave for such a prestigious club
“This is a question for him and his agent. I’d be happy if he came to a prestigious club like Napoli, but I’ve never talked to them,” he revealed.
Kvaratskhelia has more 100 senior club appearances despite being just 21, and the Partenopei have a clear-cut opportunity to sign him as either Lorenzo Insigne or Dries Mertens’ successor. He has been followed closely by Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Lees United in the past.