Antonio Conte has revealed that Khvicha has asked Kvaratskhelia to leave Napoli as Paris Saint-Germain works on a deal to sign the Georgian international.
Kvaratskhelia has been a revelation since joining from Dinamo Batumi in 2022, helping Napoli win their first Scudetto since the Diego Maradona era in his first season in Italy.
The winger scored 12 goals and provided 10 assists as the Partenopei walked away with the Serie A title in the 2022/23 season, although they went through three head coaches in the miserable 2023/24 season and finished 10th in the Italian top flight.
However, Kvaratskhelia has scored eight goals in Serie A this season (five goals, three assists), while Napoli are back in the title race under Conte.
Only six players in the division have improved on his 28 chances created, while he has attempted the fourth most dribbles in the league (67).
However, the 23-year-old continues to be linked with a big-money move and reports on Saturday suggested he has agreed personal terms with Ligue 1 champions PSG.
After leaving Kvaratskhelia out of Napoli's squad for Sunday's match against Verona, Conte was asked about the wideman's future during Saturday's pre-match press conference.
“I will answer, I have never avoided uncomfortable questions. If I speak, it is because I am telling the truth, otherwise I prefer to remain silent. I do not like telling lies,” he said.
“We are talking about an important player. This summer I demanded that a number of players be confirmed, including Khvicha.
“He had asked to be sold and he was not the only one. Then we moved on, but you forget things too quickly.
“Six months ago I had to convince the players I considered fundamental to this project to stay, but many wanted to take a different path.”
Conte was not optimistic about Napoli's chances of replacing the Georgian, saying: “To be honest, I haven't seen any profiles that can replace him.
“It's too chilly, a bolt from the blue. Today I'm very focused on Verona.
“Today the most important thing is not buying or selling, neither outgoing nor incoming, but tomorrow's match. It's three points.
“No evaluations have been made because Kvara is now a Napoli player. Then we will see tomorrow, the day after or on January 31.”
“It is inevitable that the situation will be monitored. It is good to leave it to the club, the player and his entourage. I did what I had to do. Maybe I even did too much.”
Since arriving in Serie A in 2022, Kvaratskhelia ranks fifth for goals in the league (47), second for chances created (145) and first for both dribble attempts (482) and completed (196).
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