Newcastle United have made a club-record transfer offer for one European star who shone last season, as they look to establish themselves among the elite clubs on the continent.
With Champions League football set to return to St. James' Park for the first time in 20 years in the upcoming season, Eddie Howe and Newcastle are intent on bolstering the squad with quality.
Sandro Tonali has already signed from AC Milan, and while the club does have financial fair play considerations, Newcastle have reportedly already made an incredible move for their second target this transfer window.
According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Newcastle have presented Napoli with a €95m bid for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis - a notoriously tough negotiator - is yet to respond to the offer.
Should Napoli accept the offer, Kvaratskhelia would easily become Newcastle's most expensive player in their history, beating the €70m spent on bringing in Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad last summer.
Kvaratskhelia still has four years remaining on his contract, though, keeping him at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium until the summer of 2027, meaning a hefty offer is needed to tempt him to the Premier League.
Despite joining Napoli from Dinamo Batumi for just €11.5m last year, Kvaratskhelia could be moving for nearly ten times that fee in the next few weeks. An incredible 2022/23 campaign saw him score 14 goals and make 17 assists in 43 appearances in Serie A and the Champions League, as Napoli finally won Serie A once more.
A left-winger by trade, the 22-year-old has bags of potential and would slot seamlessly into Newcastle United's system.
Transfermarkt values the Georgian at €85m.
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Newcastle United transfer news is ramping up, with the Magpies' ability to spend big coming into focus this summer.
Kieran Tierney's saga is ongoing with the Scot still linked with Newcastle. Tino Livramento of Southampton is on the radar, too, while Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips are both in the crosshairs.
Meanwhile, Newcastle's interest in Kieran Tierney could unlock Alexander Isak to play more of a "Thierry Henry role".
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