Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has emerged as a viable transfer target for Liverpool this month, but they know they will be required to pay a sizeable fee to sign him.
Napoli left winger Kvaratskhelia was reported as a potential option for the Reds on Thursday night, with The Athletic‘s David Ornstein among those to relay their interest.
Any move for the 23-year-old would depend on his availability, of course, but it is widely expected that Napoli could sell their No. 77.
Liverpool are not alone in their pursuit, with PSG considered front-runners at this stage and Chelsea also credited with an interest in the Georgia international.
A deal would certainly be costly, with journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that Napoli are seeking a package worth around €80 million (£67m).
Talks are said to already be underway with PSG, who are offering to quadruple Kvaratskhelia’s salary, though interestingly it is also claimed that this would be around £120,000 per week before tax.
Neither that nor the transfer fee mooted – which, seemingly, could be inclusive of add-ons – should price Liverpool out of the equation.
The Reds’ current highest earner is Mohamed Salah on £350,000 per week, while others in the upper bracket such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in the region of £200,000 per week.
Kvaratskhelia could, therefore, be a realistic addition for the club on wages similar to those of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Fees paid for the likes of Nunez (£85m) and Diaz (£50m) show that Liverpool are willing to spend big on a high-profile forward, while mid-season moves for Diaz and Gakpo underline their opportunistic approach in January windows.
While it has been argued that signing another winger should be among the lowest priorities for the club at this stage, the reality is that forward-planning is required.
Jota, who turned 28 last month, and Diaz, who will join him next week, will both enter the final two years of their contracts in the summer.
Meanwhile, there are understandable question marks over the future of Nunez, who looks completely unsuited to the demands at Liverpool, while Salah’s contract situation remains a concern.
In fact it could be argued that, with no clarity over the impact Federico Chiesa can make, Gakpo is the only forward in a secure position at this stage.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Liverpool journalist David Lynch gave an interesting take on why Liverpool may not have entered talks yet while PSG discuss terms with Napoli.
“You get very much the sense really that Liverpool are waiting in the wings, seeing what happens, seeing how that progresses,” Lynch explained.
“This is something they’ve done before, this is an approach we’ve seen them take previously.
“I remember back when Luis Diaz joined Liverpool in the January window that Tottenham went as far as agreeing a fee with Porto, before Liverpool pounced.
“I think what they did in that situation, and I think this is a similar approach they’ll take this time around, is allow Spurs to do all the legwork really before diving in and making their move.
“Allowing Spurs to find out what fee Porto would agree in that case and then being ready to make the move.
“So I think it’s going to be a similar approach here: find out what it would take for Napoli to sanction a sale and then dive in.”
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