Cremonese general manager Ariedo Braida has backed Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to forge a career like Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko. He is also now a transfer target of Arsenal.
Napoli only signed Kvaratskhelia from Dinamo Batumi for what is now a bargain £10m last July. The fee is just a drop in the ocean for how much the Serie A leaders can now demand for the 21-year-old. He has helped take the Azzurri to the top of the table with eight goals.
Kvaratskhelia has also laid on 11 assists through his 17 Italian top-flight appearances so far this season. The 19-cap Georgia international also scored two and created three goals over five Champions League fixtures. He helped to beat Liverpool 4-1 on his competition debut.
No Napoli player has recorded more assists so far this season across all competitions than Kvaratskhelia with 14. Only striker Victor Osimhen with 17 in 21 games has also outscored the left-winger with 10 in 22. He has been a perfect fit with coach Luciano Spalletti’s plans.
But Kvaratskhelia’s form for Napoli has attracted interest with 90min crediting Arsenal as a potential suitor for his transfer. Although the Azzurri would demand in excess of £100m to sell the forward. And the Tiflis native will not be short of suitors if Napoli agree to sell him.
Napoli ace and Arsenal target Kvaratskhelia backed to follow Kaka and Shevchenko
The Daily Mail also reports that Manchester City are monitoring Kvaratskhelia in view of a transfer from Napoli. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur also like the forward ‘a lot’, as per Calciomercato. While The Times has reported that Newcastle United are tracking him, too.
Whichever team stumps up enough cash to convince Napoli to sell Kvaratskhelia will sign a very promising attacker. And Cremonese general manager Braida has also now backed the 6ft dynamo to produce a career like Brazil great Kaka but also Ukraine legend Shevchenko.
“He can make a career like Kaka did but also like Shevchenko did,” Braida has now told Kiss Kiss Napoli. “He knows how to jump the man and in modern football that’s the most important thing.”
Kaka was the last player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2007 before the start of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominant era began. Shevchenko also lifted the award while he was an AC Milan player back in 2004. Messi and Ronaldo have won 12 of the 14 titles since Kaka’s.