Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli reveals how the club managed to beat Juve, Roma and Real Sociedad to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and insists he was ‘forced’ to sell stars in the summer, including Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Partenopei have started the season on a high note despite seeing Koulibaly, Fabian Ruiz, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and David Ospina leave at the end of 2021-22.

They signed Kvaratskhelia from Dinamo Batumi to replace their ex-captain and the Georgia international has had a tremendous impact at the Stadio Maradona with four goals and two assists in six appearances across all competitions this season.

“The first time I watched Khvicha in action was during the lockdown,” Giuntoli told Il Corriere dello Sport.

“He was like 19 but was already very good with the ball at his feet. I watched him with Rino [Gattuso], and I remember we called Kaladze to know more about this kid.

“He was playing for Rubin Kazan, but they wanted €30m, so we immediately ended negotiations. We were chasing Victor Osimhen at that time, so we could not spend that much. But he remained in my thoughts. When the Ukraine war began, he returned to Georgia, at Dinamo Batumi, so we rushed there with a contract and signed him for €10m.

“We were quicker than Roma, Juventus and Real Sociedad. He’s always been on our agenda,” he continued.

“When he arrived in Italy, I immediately sent him to Spalletti’s home and something clicked immediately. We gambled on him as a replacement for Lorenzo Insigne and we’ve won.”

Giuntoli’s target during the summer transfer window was to strengthen the team while cutting costs, which is why many starts had to leave.

“Kvara earns €1.7m gross, €1.2 after taxes, Lorenzo was getting €9m gross, €4.5m net,” said the Partenopei director who admitted Koulibaly, Insigne, Mertens and Fabian left for financial reasons.

“We had to run a risk, COVID has affected the finances and we had to bring the club back into a sustainable path. To do that, we had to cut the wage bill. Their sales was a forced choice.”

What was the rapport between Aurelio De Laurentiis and Lorenzo Insigne?

“The President respects Lorenzo, they still text each other. His farewell was the consequence of our financial strategy, he would have to accept a lower salary. That’s all.”

How about Keylor Navas? The Partenopei have been in talks with the PSG goalkeeper for a long time, but the ex-Madrid star eventually remained in Madrid.

Giuntoli suggests the Serie A giants had a verbal agreement with the player who wanted a payout to leave Paris.

“They didn’t reach an agreement with the player, they knew we had a salary limit,” said Giuntoli. “We make no exceptions. Players talk to each other inside the dressing room, if there are exceptions, they’ll know it and it’s not good. Navas earns €15m gross.”

Will they make a new attempt in January?

“No, we are happy with Meret and we are happy he stayed. He played a great game against Liverpool. Facing pressure during the summer was a good thing for him.”

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