Fabrizio Romano has taken to Twitter to reveal that Arsenal, Tottenham and Leeds have all missed out on the signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
What’s the story?
Well, the Italian has confirmed that Mikel Arteta, Antonio Conte and Jesse Marsch have lost out on the 21-year-old to Napoli.
It comes after Arsenal and Tottenham expressed an interest in signing Kvaratskhelia, while Leeds even held talks over a deal.
Now, however, the Georgia international will be playing his football in Naples, after signing a five-year contract with the Serie A side.
You can see what Romano tweeted in full below.
So far this season, Kvaratskhelia has scored five goals in 26 appearances, while also providing six assists for his teammates.
Diego Simeone even said the youngster was as good as Joao Felix, a player who Atlético Madrid paid £113m to sign from Benfica.
That is very high praise, to say the least – especially from someone with the reputation of Simeone.
Aurelio De Laurentiis – President of Napoli – has also confirmed the signing of Kvaratskhelia live on Radio KKN.
Arsenal, Tottenham & Leeds have missed out on a gem
In our view, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leeds should be disappointed after missing out on the Georgian wonderkid.
Georgia is not known for producing gems, although the Tiflis-born forward has the potential to become a superstar at Napoli.
Kvaratskhelia has been described as an “extraordinary” player in the past, as well as a “genius” – it was Irakli Khvelediani, a Georgian football agent, who made the comments.
He has also been likened to Dutch legend Arjen Robben, which gives you a good idea of how the prodigy operates out on the wings.
Of course, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leeds could have other opportunities to sign Kvaratskhelia in the future.
However, a five-year deal is as secure as they come, so if he fulfils his vast potential in Naples, the Premier League trio would need to pay a fortune.
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