Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v U.S. Sassuolo - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - October 29, 2022 Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Ben Jacobs has revealed that Newcastle United have taken a look at Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Lowdown: PIF set to go big in the summer
Newcastle decided to bolster their attacking options in January after letting Chris Wood go on loan, despite heading into the window with their priority being a new midfielder, which was surely only increased when Jonjo Shelvey departed.
Eddie Howe had spoken to the media about how the club wouldn’t spend lavishly in January and handcuff themselves in future transfer windows, so the arrival of just two new players won’t be a surprise to many.
While Newcastle were seemingly very keen on Anthony Gordon from the summer all the way up until January, that didn’t stop reports suggesting they were still looking at other targets such as Kvaratskhelia, who was said to be their number-one target heading into the window.
The Latest: Kvaratskhelia will be difficult to sign
Newcastle may well retain an interest in Kvaratskhelia as Jacobs spoke about on his latest Twitter Space, but luring him from runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could be a difficult task.
He said: “Other wide players for Newcastle that I think are worth keeping an eye on; ‘Kvaradona’ as he’s known, like Maradona, a player at Napoli often compared to Georgi Kinkladze – they share the same nationality as well. Manchester City have looked, Newcastle have looked.
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“Really difficult to get anyone away from Napoli, though, because they’re flying at the moment, but who knows, the summer might be a different situation.”
The Verdict: Newcastle could flex their financial muscles
If Newcastle were able to land the Georgian winger, who has a reported £50m price tag on his head, it would be a sensational piece of business as he’s been tearing up Serie A this season with 17 goal involvements and combined impressively with Victor Osimhen last weekend for one of the goals of the season.
Kvaratskhelia was signed by Napoli for a reported £10m last summer and he’s already helped them to edge ever closer to a first Serie A title in decades, so he’s arguably already paid back the club and the fans for having faith in him.
The winger is certainly starting to catch the eye of people outside of Italy and Naples, with editor Bill DiFilippo claiming he is ‘different gravy‘ – so he could seemingly be a player who can take Newcastle to that next level, especially if they manage to secure Champions League football.
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