Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wants out at Napoli! Antonio Conte reveals star winger has asked to LEAVE as PSG intensify transfer pursuit

Napoli have left the winger out of their squad for the clash, with talks ongoing with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal to take the Georgia international to France. Reports in Italy suggest PSG are closing in on a deal worth around €70 million (£59m/$71m), and manager Antonio Conte has now confirmed that the player has revealed a desire to move on. The Georgian has also been linked with Liverpool.

Manager Conte is said to be 'making considerations' for potentially replacing Kvaratskhelia, and the club have been linked with Dejan Kulusevski, who he previously managed at Spurs. As it stands, PSG have made a swap offer for the winger, involving Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio, but that bid has been rejected. Fabrizio Romano reports that they have met all of Kvaratskhelia's demands in terms of his contract, as he is set for a massive wage hike, potentially earning as much as five times more than he did in Italy.

Conte told reporters: "Kvara has asked to be sold. The club told me and he confirmed it: I feel very disappointed, because in these 6 months I have put him at the centre of the project making him understand that something important could be done and I have worked with the club for the renewal, instead we are back to the beginning."

He added: "Evidently I have not been so incisive in convincing the parties to move forward together, today I find myself at a point where I have to take a step back. I cannot keep in chains those who do not want to stay: I did it in the summer, I had 6 months to convince them to find the solution and therefore it was a bolt from the blue.

"I would never want him to think that I vetoed him and chained him if he were to stay: this summer I did it convinced that I would convince him to embrace the goodness of the project, but I didn't succeed."

Asked about the winger being left out of the squad, he added:
"It's right that Napoli, Kvara and his entourage resolve the situation, the problem is between them. He is not available for Verona and we will see what happens in the future".

Kvaratskhelia has scored five goals in 17 games in Serie A this season, and has also registered three assists. He has a contract until 2027, hence his high asking price.

It seems PSG are ready to close a deal for Kvaraskhelia in the coming days. In the meantime, Napoli play Hellas Verona on Sunday before taking on Atalanta next week. Conte's side are top, with 44 points, and are three clear of second-placed Atalanta.