There is no truth to reports linking Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City with a move for Napoli sensation Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Serie A club’s sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli tells Sport Express.
Remember when Napoli supporters were lighting their pitchforks and threatening to march onto Aurelio de Laurentiis’ lawn, blaming the under-fire owner for what they deemed to be a lack of ambition in the transfer market?
Well, while Kim Min-Jae, Giovanni Simeone, Giacomo Raspadori and the electrifying Kvaratskhelia might not have been the most glamorous or high-profile additions on paper, Napoli’s remarkable run of 12 wins in 14 games across all competitions certainly has many a critic gorging on a hearty portion of humble pie.
Who saw this coming? Well, nobody really.
Kvaratskhelia, a £9 million signing from Georgian outfit Dinamo Batumi, has been arguably the biggest revelation in European football so far this term; his exhilarating performances both in Serie A and the Champions League making supporters of Leeds, Tottenham and Everton wish they could turn back the clock.
Calciomercato claimed this week that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are already threatening to test Napoli’s resolve. But, even if either club did come calling, it would not take Guintoli long to slam down the phone.
Napoli will not sell Kvicha Kvaratskhelia to Liverpool or Manchester City
“Not true! This is a lie,” the sporting director says, responding to those Liverpool and City links. “We have no desire to sell Kvaratskhelia.”
Likened to a young Mo Salah and labelled ‘special’ by Real Madrid’s former Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti; this old-school left-winger has a remarkable 15 goals and assists in just 14 games for Luciano Spalletti’s Scudetto hopefuls.
Kvaratskhelia’s former Lokomotiv Moscow coach Yuri Semin, meanwhile, is not surprised to see the Georgia international linked with some of Europe’s bonafide A-listers.
“If these clubs are keen, it means that Khvicha deserves it! What is there to be surprised about?,” Semin quips (SE).
Kvaratskhelia’s Napoli are top of the Serie A table and dreaming of their first Scudetto since 1990. Il Partenopei have also won every one of their four Champions League matches thus far. Kvaratskhelia has ripped Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers apart on the biggest of stages.
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