Real Madrid News
Report: €60 million-rated Napoli forward dreams of playing for Real Madrid
Spanish journalist Arancha Rodriguez reveals that Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia dreams of following the footsteps of his idol Guti and joining Real Madrid.
The Georgian international has been one of the Serie A leaders’ biggest revelations this season, attracting interest from across the globe. In 22 league starts for Napoli, he has scored 11 goals so far with nine assists.
Kvaratskhelia specialises in playing as a left-winger from where he has created 11 big chances and averages 1.6 key passes per game in Serie A. His ability to press high and dictate the flow of the game with his creativity makes him the team’s X factor.
The 22-year-old had often admitted to being inspired by former Real Madrid star Guti and revealed that he found it difficult to get his idol’s shirt in Georgia in his childhood. Guti responded almost immediately, offering to send him a shirt if he signed for Real Madrid.
“I’m Kvaratskhelia’s idol? Kvara, come to Real Madrid. I will send you a shirt,” he told El Chiringuito.
The winger’s deal with Napoli runs until the summer of 2027, implying that a potential transfer in the summer transfer window would cost a fortune. The Italian side have reportedly set a price tag of €100 million to deter any possible interest and wish to retain his services for years to come.
While the player would fit well into Los Blancos’ dynamics, the one concern regarding his arrival is the competition.
Real Madrid’s arguably most decisive player, Vinicius Jr, plays on the left flank. To bring Kvaratskhelia in on such a big money deal to occupy the same position would appear to be a futile operation financially.
Moreover, the men in white already plan on spending big for Jude Bellingham. To oversee two €100 million operations in the same window would not appear feasible.
In what could be a real deal breaker for Real Madrid ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg clash against Barcelona, it has been revealed that as many as three Barça will be absent from the game while another key player remains a major doubt.
The list includes the likes of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen. The trio is certain to miss the game through respective injuries while a certain Frenkie de Jong is more or less ruled out, as per Javi Miguel.
It must be remembered that Barcelona are heading into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage. But the absence of the aforementioned players means Madrid can work on exploiting the frailties.
Despite the absence of such big names, Barcelona did pretty well against Elche in their previous outing, coming out 4-0 victorious, with the goals coming from Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
With options lacking in midfield, Xavi decided to use the likes of Sergi Roberto and Eric Garcia along with Gavi in the heart of the lineup. In any way, they do have Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie as backups if needed.
The defence, on the other hand, was perfectly guarded by Jordi Alba, Marcos Alonso, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde.
One can expect Xavi to once again interchange Araujo with Kounde on the right since the Uruguayan has been rather successful in minimizing the threat of Vinicius Jr.
As far as Madrid are concerned, they are sweating over the fitness of three key defenders, namely, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho, and Ferland Mendy. Between these three, the Frenchman is out for about a month while Rudiger and Nacho are expected to be back before the Clasico.
If there are no casualties against Real Valladolid, Madrid will have a perfect midfield and attack, with only Mariano Diaz missing.
