Chelsea have joined the list of clubs tracking Napoli winger Hvicha Kvaratskhelia, sources have told ESPN.
Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Newcastle United are among a host of teams from across Europe interested in signing the 22-year-old, who scored 14 goals and recorded 17 assists in 43 appearances as Napoli won their first Serie A title since. 1990 earlier this year.
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Kvaratskhelia’s move will be in line with Chelsea’s strategy of pursuing young players with great potential.
However, Napoli are in a strong position to resist any formal offers given the Georgian winger is contracted with the club until 2027 and talks are said to be progressing well over a new contract on improved terms.
Sources have indicated that Napoli value Kvaratskhelia at over €100 million ($124.8 million) and although Chelsea would not fall behind on that valuation in theory, they have minimal space within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. . Additionally, their budget for 2024 will depend on various factors including which European competition – if any – they qualify for next season.
Chelsea also have other priorities in the transfer market with the club eyeing Kvaratskhelia’s Napoli teammate Victor Osimhen among a striker list that also contains Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
