Chelsea 'ready to do crazy things' to sign 22-year-old attacker in 2024: Reports
Premier League giants Chelsea are reportedly ready to do everything in their power to sign Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia next summer. As claimed by Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), the Blues have identified the Georgia international as a priority target for next summer's transfer window.
The report claims that Chelsea are willing to go the distance to land the Napoli wide forward. However, they could face strong competition for the 22-year-old from Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Kvaratskhelia has been excellent for Napoli following his switch from Dinamo Batumi last summer. The Naples side only paid a fee of €10-12 million for the winger and he has been a massive hit at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
He played a key role as Napoli won their first Serie A title after 33 years last term. The Georgian attacker scored 14 goals and provided 17 assists in 43 appearances across competitions and has been excellent this season as well.
Kvaratskhelia's exploits last season saw him awarded Serie A's Most Valuable Player and he was also named in Serie A Team of the Season. He also scored Serie A Goal of the Season and was the top assist provider for Gli Azzurri.
It has been claimed that Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis will have no option but to part ways with Kvaratskhelia next summer. They are understood to be looking for €100 million for the winger. Chelsea have plenty of options out wide but Kvaratskhelia can be a significant upgrade over others.
Pundit takes aim at Chelsea star, names his replacement in the starting XI
Former Chelsea midfielder turned television pundit Craig Burley hit out at Nicolas Jackson for his poor outing against Newcastle United. Mauricio Pochettino's side suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Magpies at the St. James' Park on Saturday, November 25.
Following the game, Craig Burley slammed Jackson for his poor showing and insisted that he was not good enough to lead the Chelsea attack. The former Scotland international also claimed that Armando Broja would be a better option up front for the east London giants.
He told ESPN, as quoted by Teamtalk:
“Let’s be honest, Nico Jackson’s not the answer. I don’t dislike Broja, I know he’s had his injury problems. But I think I’d rather have him up front than Jackson. I know he got his goals against Tottenham. But come on, let’s be realistic, they were down to nine men at the time.”
Jackson has so far scored seven goals in 15 appearances across competitions for the Blues, out of which three were against nine-man Spurs. Broja, on the other hand, is coming back from an ACL injury and is slowly building his match fitness.