Rubin Kazan will have to deal with a ‘big loss’ if Kvicha Kvaratskhelia seals his move to Leeds United during the summer transfer window, teammate Ilya Samoshnikov told Business Gazeta.
It’s a transfer saga we have been talking about since the end of April.
But, six weeks after the reports first emerged linking Leeds with a 20-year-old Georgia international who has taken Russian football by storm, we are none the wiser about whether Kvaratskhelia will be part of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad come September.
The player himself admitted recently that he had indeed held talks with the Yorkshire giants, while Rubin Kazan’s sporting director has done little to play down the speculation.
Kvaratskhelia’s father, meanwhile, is ‘100 per cent’ certain that his son will not be plying his trade in Russia by the time next season kicks off. But whether Elland Road will be his destination remains to be seen.
Either way, Kvaratskhelia will be a ‘big loss’ for Rubin Kazan, according to the man who tends to play behind the winger on the left-hand side of Leonid Slutsky’s side.
Is Kvicha Kvaratskhelia heading to Leeds United?
“We have a great relationship,” left-back Samoshnikov explained.
“(Losing a player like Kvaratskhelia) will be a big loss for any team. He creates a lot of moments.”
Kvaratskhelia, who very nearly joined Bayern Munich back in 2018, is understood to be valued in the region of £20 million.
Leeds have already committed themselves to paying £13 million for Barcelona’s Junior Firpo, while Jack Harrison is expected to join on a permanent basis for a similar amount.
With the Whites going full-steam ahead for Bielsa’s number one target Nahitan Nandez, will there be any room left in the budget for Kvaratskhelia?
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