Real Madrid target Kvaratskhelia was nearly a Rangers player

Stuart Telford

• 16 Mar 2023 22:04 GMT
• 3 min read

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has reportedly attracted the interest of Real Madrid after starring for Napoli this season. He could have been a Rangers player had they taken Craig Moore's advice.

Kvaratskhelia is nicknamed 'Kvaradona' at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where he has lit up Serie A this season with 11 goals and as many assists for the league leaders, adding two and four in each column in seven Champions League outings.

Real Madrid are the latest club to be linked with a move for the Georgian winger, with Premier League giants Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City previously reportedly interested.

READ: Kvaratskhelia wants Real Madrid transfer but I would like him at Barcelona, agent admits

Kvaratskhelia is valued at €50 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, although Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said recently that it would take at least double that to consider selling him with the club not struggling with any debts.

But it might have been Scotland's record champions Rangers cashing in big on the winger, according to their former defender Craig Moore.

Southampton baulked at £12m

"It's a funny story," the Australian told GO Radio. "He was in Russia and due to all the issues he went back to Georgia to play at Batumi."

READ: Who is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia? Napoli’s ‘Georgian Maradona’ set for greatness

Foreign players had been allowed to leave Russia following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, something Kvaratskhelia did, suspending his contract with Rubin Kazan.

"I had the mandate to try and get him to Southampton with the management company I am working with," Moore continued.

"Southampton at £11-12million - which was the figure at the time - said that's probably not something we are looking at, and it's still a bit of a risk. The English clubs like to see you perform somewhere else before and then pay overs, which is madness for me.

"I did throw the little Malteser at Rangers saying 'is this not somebody you could maybe look at? Get him in on loan with an option to buy, because it's not going to happen here in the UK'. Rangers were set at that time with their recruitment and their signings, and the next minute I seen him pop up at Napoli for £10million!"