Liverpool have received a transfer boost after it emerged that Kvicha Kvaratskhelia asked to leave Napoli, with the winger’s father previously drawing comparisons between him and Mo Salah
Liverpool transfer target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s father has already expressed his immense admiration for Mohamed Salahthough he backs his son over Red’s talisman.
Kvaratskhelia, 23, is one of the highest-rated wingers in Europe, having been linked with a host of top clubs since the transfer window opened this month. Napoli boss Antonio Conte admitted on Saturday that the Georgian is expected to leave the Italian side in January after having submitted a transfer request.
Liverpool is reportedly longtime admirers of Kvaratskhelia but faces stiff competition from PSG, who have already made a contract offer. Despite this blow, Napoli’s valuation in excess of £70 million have yet to be met by the Parisians, leaving the door open for Liverpool to potentially secure a long-term successor to their own star, Salah.
Kvaratskhelia’s father, Badri, spoke to Calcio Napoli 24 on the comparisons between his son and the 2023 Egyptian ace, saying: “It’s a wonderful comparison because Salah is a fantastic footballer who has done extraordinary things with Liverpool and Egypt, but we like Khvicha more.
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“A lot of people say he’s the strongest, for me he is because I’m the father, but hearing it from others fills me with pride.”
While that’s some praise, it’s something many Liverpool supporters will probably take with a grain of salt, given Salah’s staggering impact on Anfield since his own move from Serie A in 2017. Salah has been in sensational form this season, with incredible figures of 21 goals and 17 assists in just 28 games, even though his contract expires in the summer.
There is long-standing interest in the player from Anfield chiefs, although the Reds appear well-stocked in his position with the likes of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota all able to operate on that flank.
Reds head coach Arne Slot even addressed the rumours regarding Liverpool’s interest in signing Kvaratskhelia during a press conference this week. The Dutchman played down the speculation, commenting: “When you said you were ‘linked to’, I thought: ‘Which club is he going to say now?’” But you mean we as a club are linked to Kvaratskhelia.
“What I make of it is this is January and I think I said that after the West Ham United game (to journalists), please don’t let me down, please bring all these players and all these clubs that are in our interest.
“Or those who don’t play much for us will go elsewhere. That (speculation) is what’s happening now. And nine times out of 10 or 99 out of 100 times, by the end of the window it’s been clear that almost all of those stories don’t be true so what can i comment about it, but no comments from my side.
Kvaratskhelia hasn’t quite matched Salah’s output this season under Conte, scoring just five goals and providing three assists in 19 games in all competitions. His best season with a total of 14 goals was two years ago when he helped Napoli secure their first Scudetto since 1990.
