Napoli coach Antonio Conte has confirmed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has requested to depart the membership amid reported curiosity from Premier League leaders Liverpool and Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Kvaratskhelia, who gained the Serie A title with Napoli in 2023, has a contract that runs till 2027 however progress has not been made in extending that deal this season.
Talking in a information convention forward of Napoli’s Serie A sport towards Verona on Sunday, Conte expressed his disappointment concerning the 23-year-old probably leaving the Serie A leaders this month.
“I’ve by no means hidden away from uncomfortable questions. If I converse, I will inform the reality, in any other case I choose to remain quiet, I do not inform lies,” Conte stated.
“We’re speaking about an vital participant. A participant who was already on account of depart in the summertime. I additionally needed to have technical certainties. High quality is required along with the work I demanded, in addition to the affirmation of sure gamers, together with Khvicha, who, as you already know, had requested to be offered in the summertime. And he wasn’t the one one.
“We’re transferring forwards, however it’s straightforward to neglect the work I needed to do to persuade the gamers, who I thought-about important, to remain. Many needed to take different paths.
“He requested the membership to be offered, with out mincing his phrases. That is what was stated to me, the participant has confirmed his resolution to me.
“Personally I really feel very disenchanted, as a result of I spent six months making an attempt to make [Kvaratskhelia] really feel on the centre of the venture, working with him, displaying him that we may do one thing nice and in addition working with the membership for six months on the renewal.
“From my perspective, it is an amazing disappointment.
“As we speak I’ve to take a step again. I am unable to hold those that need to depart tied up in chains. I did that in the summertime and had six months to persuade all of the events to discover a answer.
“I realise that the information has come out of the blue, however now I’m taking a step again and it is proper that the membership and [Kvaratskhelia’s] entourage resolve the state of affairs.
“And so, he’s not accessible for Verona. We are going to see what occurs. We are going to lose an vital participant, however for the meantime, let’s deal with Verona.”