Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s rapid rise to stardom has caught Europe’s footballing elite off guard.

The Georgian ace joined the Serie A leaders last summer for a modest fee of around £9million but has been a revelation, ripping defences apart on the domestic and continental stage.

Kvaratskhelia insists he is loving life in Naples but with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Manchester City all linked, a summer switch could well be on the cards.

As Napoli prepare to take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie this evening, we put the man dubbed "Kvaradona" under the microscope.

Humble beginnings

Kvaratskhelia’s native Georgia do not exactly have a rich footballing history. 

Manchester City fans of a bygone era will fondly remember Georgi Kinkladze, while the nation’s all-time top scorer Shota Arveladze was a regular at Rangers and recently had an ill-fated spell in charge of Championship side Hull.

At an elite level, defender Kakha Kaladze won Champions League titles with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 — yet there is good reason to think Kvaratskhelia will surpass even his achievements in due course.

Wind the clock back 12 months from now and even the most committed football purist could be forgiven for not having the Rubin Kazan starlet on their radar.

He netted only twice in 19 Russian Premier League matches in 2021-22, before Russia’s conflict with Ukraine led to his contract being suspended.

He headed home to Dinamo Batumi, where eight goals in 11 games prompted Napoli to cough up a modest sum to bring him to Italy.

Hitting the jackpot

Securing that agreement ahead of the likes of Juventus and Roma has proved to be a masterstroke. 

Few could have anticipated how quickly Napoli's No77 would make his mark on top-level football, with his unpredictable and direct playing style proving a nightmare for opposition defences to contain.

Already, he has racked up 12 goals and 12 assists across 24 Serie A and Champions League matches this term, meaning the 19-cap international is operating at an average of one direct goal involvement per game. 

That puts him in elite company indeed.

His club team-mate Victor Osimhen, Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and the Paris Saint-Germain trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the only others to do so in 2022-23 from Europe's top leagues.

It is little wonder there is so much speculation around a possible transfer.

Attracting interest

Kvaratskhelia’s agent went public last week regarding speculation over his client’s future — though he stopped short of saying a move was on the cards.

Mamuka Jugeli told press in Italy: "There is a lot of interest from other clubs. Kvara, however, is only thinking about winning the Scudetto and Napoli's matches in the Champions League.

"He told me that in terms of football in Italy, he sees himself only in Naples. He will never play for any other Italian club, apart from Napoli. He feels at home in Naples."

That statement should at least reassure Partenopei supporters that their talisman will not be jumping ship to Juve, just as former star Gonzalo Higuain did back in 2016.

Whether or not that rules out a transfer to one of Europe’s other giants, however, remains to be seen.

Finding a fit

Kvaratskhelia's style certainly appears suited to some sides better than others. 

While no club would turn their nose up at his league-leading assists tally or penchant for a jaw-dropping strike, the 22-year-old does not always make the correct decision.

Frequent moments of magic are also accompanied by errors. For example, to reach his impressive tally of 47 completed take-ons in Serie A this term, he has had to fail on 81 occasions.

His passing accuracy currently sits under 80%, while only 29 of his 75 shots this season have hit the target.

Teams such as Manchester City and Bayern Munich, who prefer to carefully craft their attacks through high possession and patient build-up, would potentially find the Georgian’s unpredictability problematic.

Made for Madrid

Perhaps somewhere like Real Madrid, where the game’s biggest mavericks have been given a platform to strut their stuff for many decades, could be ideal for Kvaratskhelia.

What is more, the man himself declared his love for Los Blancos in an interview during his time with Rubin Kazan that only surfaced recently.

In it, he confessed: "My biggest dream is to win the Champions League with Real Madrid. I've been a Real Madrid fan since I was a child. 

"With my brothers, we were always watching their games and cheering them on."

While Premier League giants will be hoping the youngster has had a change of heart, those comments suggest the LaLiga giants will be in pole position when a bidding war commences.

Right now, the dynamic attacker is trying to achieve his Champions League dream in Naples — and he may just do exactly that.