Man Utd, Liverpool & Chelsea suffer huge blow in race for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly agreed a deal with Napoli to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who had been a target for Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The Georgian winger has been linked with a move away from Naples since his agent, Mamuka Jugeli, revealed that his client wanted to compete in the Champions League over the summer.

Napoli boss Antonio Conte bluntly exposed Kvaratskhelia's desire to leave last week. "Khvicha has asked the club to be sold," the boss sighed. "I am disappointed, I realised that it was a bolt from the blue and I am taking a step back. I would never want him to think that I have chained him here if he were to stay."

Manchester United emerged as early contenders in the competitive race for the 23-year-old and were soon joined by Liverpool and Chelsea. However, Paris Saint-Germain appear to be on the verge of securing Kvaratskhelia's coveted signature.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has sat out Napoli's last two matches / Ivan Romano/GettyImages

The French giants have struck a "verbal agreement" with Napoli for a deal worth an initial €70m (£59m), according to Fabrizio Romano. Both sets of owners are yet to give to the go-ahead - and Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis has a strong reputation as a tough negotiator - but Kvaratskhelia is expected to sign a five-year deal in the coming days.

Conte has left his star forward out of Napoli's first two matches of the new year - both of which they have won - as he already begins to plan for a future without the Georgian. There have been links suggesting that Napoli would be interested in United's Alejandro Garnacho as a replacement for Kvaratskhelia, although a €70m asking price for the Argentine may be a dealbreaker.

United's search for attacking reinforcements in January hasn't ended with Kvaratskhelia. The Red Devils are thought to be targeting RB Salzburg's young forward Nene Dorgeles.

The 22-year-old winger doesn't boast the same pedigree as Kvaratskhelia, a player who earned comparisons to Diego Maradona while leading Napoli to their first league title in 33 years, but the Georgian superstar was even more unknown than Nene when he moved to Italy in 2022 from Dinamo Batumi.