Khvicha Kvaratskhelia never had any doubts about wanting to play for Napoli. The Georgian has been a sensation since joining the Partenopei in the summer of 2021, making the rest of Italy and Europe sit up and take note of his excellence due to his shining performances in Serie A and the Champions League.
Kvaratskhelia landed in Naples as something of an unknown quantity in Italian football, and many people were unsure that he would be able to settle as quickly as Napoli needed him to after the departures of both Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens in attack, but Kvaratskhelia has taken to Serie A like a duck to water.
Speaking to DAZN, Kvaratskhelia discussed how the move came to be, and how he never wanted to play anywhere else once learning of Napoli’s interest.
“A long time [asked how long he had known of Napoli’s interest], about two years,” Kvaratskhelia said. “They were really interested in me and I was really happy about that.
“I was looking forward to wearing the Napoli shirt because they had so many good players. Whenever I watched their games I thought that I’d be able to adapt well to their style of play. I loved how they played and I’m delighted that I can now say that I’m a Napoli player myself.
“I don’t know if there were other teams [trying to sign me], I heard things from time to time about other teams. But once I heard about the offer from Napoli, I never wanted anything else. I wanted to play for Napoli.”
Clubs interested in signing Kvaratskhelia
Kvaratskhelia’s good start to life at Napoli hasn’t gone unnoticed. Plenty of Europe’s elite have already expressed an interest in the forward, with Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United all being linked with him early in the season.
While there is no reason to believe that Napoli would be willing to discuss a deal in January, Premier League side Newcastle United have also been touted as a possible destination for Kvaratskhelia. The Northern English side have no shortage of cash since being bought by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
It is thought that the Magpies had scouted Kvaratskhelia continuously in the first half of the 2022/23 season and they are prioritising his signing in January and, failing that, the summer of 2023.
Kvaratskhelia at Napoli
Kvaratskhelia has scored six goals and provided seven assists in his first 12 Serie A appearances. The winger has also scored twice and assisted three more goals in five Champions League group games.
Kvaratskhelia is also impressing at international level too, scoring five goals and assisting three for Georgia in the UEFA Nations League.
