Most football fans drool over players who come from countries like France, Brazil, Italy, England, Argentina, Germany… you know, the usual. But every once and again, a footballing gem is unearthed in a country that you don’t normally associate with top-class players. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of those. And he comes from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.pronto a cucinare le difese della Serie A 👨🏻🍳🇬🇪 (pt.1)#Kvaratskhelia #SSCNapoli💙 pic.twitter.com/9fpd12Mi9s— Mattia 🇮🇹🇺🇦 (@lba1926_) March 31, 2022 Look, we won’t pretend we can pronounce the guy’s name. At least not confidently. But it doesn’t really matter – because this 21-year-old winger is a joy to watch. Although he’s currently on the books of Russian Premier League club Rubin Kazan, he won’t be there for long. Scudetto-chasing Napoli have reportedly beaten Arsenal and Leeds United and secured his arrival as a replacement for the outgoing captain Lorenzo Insigne.The situation in Ukraine has led to sanctions on Russian clubs, with FIFA suspending player contracts for the time being. That saw Kvaratskhelia move back to his homeland, where he’ll spend the rest of the season playing for Dinamo Batumi.Wednesday, 22.00: (6.00) Villareal (4.10) Bayern (1.62)English clubs were exploring potential opportunities to sign the skilful left-footed winger, although the Premier League is still unwilling to allow such temporary deals outside the registration window. But their loss is Napoli’s gain.The Neapolitans have been admiring the Georgian for a while and are now one step away from securing his services following prolonged talks. Former Italy international Cristian Zaccardo has played a key role in negotiations between Kvaratskhelia’s representatives and Napoli, who are on the brink of signing him for a reported fee of around $11 million.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Kvaratskhelia is likely to sign a five-year contract with the club from Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and will earn just over $1 million per year.Both Arsenal and Tottenham seem to be hopeful of hijacking the deal, but it looks like Napoli have found the man to fill in the gap that Insigne’s departure will create.
