Chelsea have been linked with Napoli playmaker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but Fabrizio Romano isn’t convinced about anything concrete to the stories for the moment.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Romano explained that Chelsea are currently very happy with Mykhaylo Mudryk in that position, with the Blues spending big money on him last January as they remain convinced he will be ‘the future’ for them in that area of the pitch.
Kvaratskhelia is another top talent who has really caught the eye during his time in Serie A, and Chelsea would surely be stronger for having him in their team, but another issue raised by Romano is that Napoli surely won’t want to let him go while there is also uncertainty about another of their star players in Victor Osimhen.
Chelsea are one of the teams to have been linked with Osimhen in recent times, and one imagines a striker of that mould will still make sense as being more of a priority for the west London giants than an attacking midfield player like Kvaratskhelia, even if the Georgia international is the kind of talent most elite clubs around Europe would love to have on their books.
Discussing the situation for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano said: “I’m aware there have been some stories about Chelsea having an interest in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with reports that he’s a player they really like, but I wouldn’t read too much into this for now.
“The key point with Chelsea, however, is that they still believe Mykhaylo Mudryk will be the future in that position, so nothing has been decided in terms of investing big money there for another player after they fought hard to sign Mudryk ahead of Arsenal in that tense battle last January.
“Also with Napoli there is the reality that they could be forced to sell Victor Osimhen in the summer – I’ve reported on interest in him several times recently, and there’s been no progress on a new contract with Napoli, so they will hope to keep Kvaratskhelia if they lose another of their important players.
“A lot can change in football and it’s too early to know for sure what will happen, but my understanding remains that it’s not a concrete thing with Chelsea so far.”