Barcelona’s hunt for a new winger has taken the administration to Napoli, among other locations, in pursuit of a potential new signing. The player who interests the management from Francesco Calzona’s side is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The 23-year-old Georgian star has kept up his good form for the Italian outfit, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists for Napoli in 31 Serie A games this season.
As a potent force down the left wing, he promises to fill the exact void Barcelona hope to reinforce this summer.
A blow arrives
According to the latest update from Mundo Deportivo, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis met with Kvaratskhelia’s agent Mamuka Jugeli and the player’s father earlier this week to inform them that the club counts on the player for the future.
Napoli do not wish to sell the Georgian superstar, who has been one of the team’s most reliable players on the field for close to two years now.
The Italian side are thus desperate to agree terms with the player over a renewal, talk regarding which have been on a standstill for a while now.
Kvaratskhelia demands that his salary be increased from €1.4 million to €5 million per season, with variables as an add-on.
Napoli currently offer €4 million including bonuses, and it is clear that the two parties are not too far off.
A massive economic ask
The 23-year-old star’s current deal with Napoli runs until the summer of 2027, making it close to impossible for Barcelona to bargain anything less than his market value.
As relayed by the Spanish outlet, his current value stands at close to €80 million, and it is close to impossible for the Blaugranas to finance such an amount in their current economic situation.
Napoli’s failure to qualify for the UCL could push the player towards a departure, but with clubs including PSG in the hunt, the Catalans have close to no chance of securing the target.
