Man Utd scouts spotted watching Serie A superstar

Carlo Garganese

• 23 Oct 2024 14:00 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United scouts were present to watch Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia last weekend.

That is according to TuttomercatoWeb, who report that Man Utd scouts were spotted at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on Sunday to watch Napoli’s 1-0 win over Empoli.

The report states that the reason for the visit was Napoli attacker Kvaratskhelia and star defender Alessandro Buongiorno, with the former scoring the winner from the penalty spot.

READ MORE: European Golden Shoe 2024/25

United are said to be interested in signing both players.

Kvaratskhelia is the more achievable target out of the two as he is currently embroiled in difficult contract negotiations with Napoli.

He is only paid €1.8 million a year, despite being one of the best players in the league.

READ MORE: Premier League most assists in 2024/25

Kvara is demanding €8m a year to sign a new deal, with Napoli so far reaching around €5/6m in their offer.

The feeling is that eventually a new contract will be signed but it could include a release clause worth €100m.

Buongiorno seems a very unlikely prospect of United signing as he only joined Napoli this summer for €40m including add-ons from Torino.

Kvaratskhelia at Napoli

Kvaratskhelia was one of the breakout stars of European football during the 2022-23 season during a historic campaign for the Partenopei.

He moved to Napoli from Dinamo Batumi for €10m in 2022 – and that proved to be the bargain of the season.

He scored 14 goals and assisted 14 in all competitions as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

He delivered a string of brilliant performances, including tearing Juventus apart 5-1 in January and Liverpool 4-1 in the Champions League.

This led to many of Europe’s biggest clubs being interested in signing the star.

Last season, Kvara was not as impressive as Napoli endured a disastrous defence of their title, finishing in 10th place.

He has returned to closer to his best form this term under new manager Antonio Conte as Napoli currently top Serie A after eight matches.