Napoli manager Antonio Conte has confirmed that Kvica Kvaratskelia has asked to leave the club, amid reported interest from Premier League leaders Liverpool and Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Kvaratskelia, who won the Serie A title with Napoli in 2023, signed a contract until 2027, but there has been no progress on extending the contract this season.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Napoli’s Serie A match against Verona on Sunday, Conte expressed his disappointment over the 23-year-old potentially leaving the Serie A leaders this month.
“I have never hidden from uncomfortable questions,” Conte said. “If I speak, I will tell the truth; if not, I prefer to keep quiet and not lie.”
“We are talking about important players, players who were already scheduled to leave in the summer. I also wanted to have technical certainty. In addition to the work I have asked for, I need quality and the confirmation of certain players, including:” As you know, Kviča was not the one who asked to be sold in the summer.
“We’re moving forward, but it’s easy to forget the work I had to do to convince the players I thought were essential, many of whom wanted to go a different way.
“He didn’t mince words and asked me to sell the club. This is what he told me. The player confirmed his decision to me.”
“Personally, I was very disappointed, because it made me feel like (Kvaratskelia) was at the center of the project, to work with him, to show him that we could do something great, to renew it. Because we spent six months working with the club.
“It’s very disappointing from my point of view.
“We have to take a step back today. We can’t chain people who want to leave. We did that in the summer and we had six months to convince all parties to find a solution.
“I know this news came out of nowhere, but it is right for the club and (Kvaratskelia’s) associates to take a step back and resolve the situation.
“So he cannot play for Verona. We will see what happens. We will lose an important player, but in the meantime, let us focus on Verona.”