Mikel Arteta requests Arsenal to sign 22-year-old winger in €100 million deal: Reports 

Mikel Arteta has reportedly asked Arsenal to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli this summer.

According to El Nacional, Chelsea and Newcastle United have been linked with him but the Gunners have now entered the race. They could be willing to offer €100 million to sign him from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Kvaratskhelia reportedly desires a move to Real Madrid and has previously cited Guti as his idol. Carlo Ancelotti asked Los Blancos to table a bid for him this summer but club president Florentino Perez rejected the idea, as he is solely focused on signing Kylian Mbappe.

This could favour Arsenal, with Arteta apparently in favor of signing the 22-year-old winger who signed for Napoli last summer for just €11.5 million. His first season in Naples was a resounding success.

Kvaratskhelia registered 12 goals and 13 assists in 34 Serie A games as he helped his team win the Scudetto after a 33-year wait. He is tied down to a contract which expires only in June 2027, giving Napoli the decisive cards when it comes to deciding his future.

Arteta could reportedly play the Georgia international in a front three alongside Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. But this could come at the cost of isolating the likes of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli from regular first-team action.

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Mikel Arteta confirms major Arsenal injury blow after Monaco win

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus will be out for a few weeks after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

The Brazil international was omitted from the matchday squad for the Gunners' Emirates Cup final win against AS Monaco earlier today (2 August). After his team beat the French side 5-4 on penalties (1-1 after full time), the Spaniard said, via the Mirror:

"Unfortunately he had a little procedure this morning. He’s had some discomfort in his knee that caused him some issues so they had to go in. He’s going to be out for a few weeks."

This effectively rules out the 26-year-old Brazil international from Arsenal's FA Cup Community Shield clash against Manchester City on 8 August. He is also likely to miss their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest on 12 August.

Jesus suffered a major knee injury in December 2022, which restricted him to making 26 Premier League appearances, where he scored 11 goals and laid out seven assists. It also nudged the Gunners in the direction of signing Leandro Trossard from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £27 million in January.