Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp once expressed his admiration for rumored Reds transfer target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - after assessing the left winger's attributes during a man-of-the-match display for Napoli.

The Georgian forward has garnered a reputation as one of the continent's best attacking talents in recent years, with 30 goals and 29 assists in 107 appearances for the reigning Italian champions. After a strong start to the current campaign, The Athletic reports that the 23-year-old is said to be attracting interest from a number of Europe's leading clubs including PSG and Chelsea.

Among the sides purportedly keeping tabs on Kvaratskhelia is Liverpool, with the lack of developments over a new contract at Napoli prompting speculation that over his future. Under contract at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona until 2027, the Serie A giants are alleged to be in "no rush" to cash in on their star man.

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Kvaratskhelia is a player that Liverpool fans will be very much aware of, given his excellent performances against the Merseysiders in the past in the Champions League. One particular showing against the Reds in the 2022-23 saw him steal the show in a 4-1 demolition job, before he caught the eye again at Anfield in the return fixture despite a 2-0 loss.

After an intriguing battle with opposition right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in that defeat, then-Liverpool boss Klopp was effusive in his praise for the winger. Speaking about the Napoli forward, he said: "He’s [Kvaratskhelia] a good player. He is really good, the boy, and really quick and you have to defend him together in these moments.

“When he has the advantage of the first movement then he is already gone. You have to try to be there in the moment when the ball arrives, but if you cannot do that then you need to be protected because he has speed, he is cheeky, he goes inside, he can go outside, that makes it always really difficult.”

As for the links with Kvaratskhelia in recent days, Reds head coach Arne Slot issued a coy response when asked about the club's plans in January. He said: "When you said yourself 'linked with', I was thinking: 'Which club is he going to say now? ' But you mean as a club we are linked with Kvaratskhelia.

"What I make of that is that this is January and I think I said it after the West Ham United game [to journalists], please don't disappoint me, please come up with all these players and all these clubs that are in the interest of us. Or the ones that don't play a lot for us are going to go somewhere else.

Slot added: "That [speculation] is what is happening now. And nine out of 10 times or 99 out of 100 times, at the end of the window it's been clear that almost all of these stories weren't true. So what can I comment about it? The rumours keep going for it but no comment from my side."

Back in June, Kvaratskhelia's agent Mamuka Jugeli told Georgian media outlet Imedi that his client was open to leaving Napoli in the future. He said: "I don't want people to think that Kvara wants to stay at Napoli. We want to leave, but we are waiting for the end of the Euros so as not to disturb Khvicha. The priority is to join a team that plays in the Champions League."