The transfer speculation surrounding Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Arsenal is gaining serious momentum, with people close to the Georgian winger now publicly suggesting he would welcome a move to the Emirates. David Webb, who spent three years as Georgia’s assistant coach, has told talkSPORT that Kvaratskhelia not only holds the Premier League in the highest regard, but would respond positively to the right approach from an interested club.
“I think it’d be great for the Premier League if he would come,” Webb said. “He’s an exciting player and he would definitely light it up.”
The comments carry genuine weight because Webb worked with Kvaratskhelia during a period that shaped the forward’s professional ambitions, giving him a unique window into the player’s thinking that most agents or intermediaries simply do not have. He confirmed conversations did happen about English football. “Yeah, we spoke about it. He was always interested,” Webb said, adding that Kvaratskhelia’s focus was on clubs competing at the highest level — “Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, the big ones competing in the Champions League.”
The 25-year-old joined PSG from Napoli for around €60 million last year and has since become one of the most watched attackers in European football, scoring 11 goals in 35 appearances this season alone. His form in the Champions League has been particularly striking, with dazzling performances against Premier League opposition, including Chelsea and Liverpool, which directly caught Arsenal’s attention. The practical problem is that PSG have made clear they do not wish to part with one of their marquee players, and according to one report, a fee in the region of €180 million would be required to even open serious negotiations.
Arsenal’s hierarchy are clearly not deterred. Reports indicate the Gunners have already made contact with the player’s representatives, who have indicated that Kvaratskhelia is open to a move to the Emirates — even if the valuation makes a clean deal difficult. Mikel Arteta is understood to be in the market for an elite left winger this summer, partly because Gabriel Martinelli’s own future remains uncertain amid reports of his desire to depart. Multiple wingers are on the club’s longlist, including Nico Williams of Athletic Club, Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, but Kvaratskhelia has become the dream target.
The wider context is significant: Arsenal are on course for their first Premier League title since 2004 and are deep in the Champions League, meaning the pull of the project could be persuasive from Kvaratskhelia’s perspective even if the fee negotiations are complex. Arsenal are simultaneously expected to pursue Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid as a centre-forward and Valentino Livramento of Newcastle — a combined outlay that FootballTransfers estimates could approach €280 million. Whether the club opts to prioritise Kvaratskhelia or accepts a cheaper alternative may come down to whether PSG blink on their valuation — which, for now, they show no sign of doing.
