Slot breaks silence on Kvaratskhelia as £97.5m triple swap claims draw honest reply

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged journalists to ‘please don’t’ after offering his honest assessment of his side’s chances of bringing Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Anfield, while the Reds boss has issued Harvey Elliott a warning following claims he could be sold this month.

The Reds have money to spend this January as Slot looks to supplement a Liverpool squad very much still in the hunt for four major honours this season. While they do face a challenge in overturning their 1-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Tottenham if they are to reach Wembley, the Merseysiders are top of the Premier League by six points and are among the favourites to win the Champions League after winning all six games they have played so far.

Next up for Liverpool is what many feel is the perfect FA Cup tie against League Two Accrington Stanley, who will arrive at Anfield this Saturday lunchtime with literally nothing to lose.

Slot is likely to use the game to give a number of his senior men a much-needed rest and allow those perhaps on the fringes a chance to show they are worth more regular minutes.

However, Jamie Carragher is among those who believe Liverpool need some new signings to push them over the line and, in the wake of links to Kvaratskhelia, whom Liverpool will reportedly offer Napoli cash plus Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa to Napoli, Slot has had his say.

“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,” Slot said.

“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. 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.”

READ MORE: Decision reached as Kvaratskhelia chooses between Liverpool, Chelsea and PSG

Napoli open to Kvaratskhelia sale as Slot comments on Harvey Elliott

It’s easy to see why Slot has been quick to deny speculation of a Liverpool move for Kvaratskhelia. While many regard the Georgian as one of the best and most exciting wingers in world football, Liverpool are well serviced for options who can play off the left of their attack. Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and even striker Darwin Nunez are all options for Slot to play there if needed.

That said, Kvaratskhelia has opened the door to a possible move away from Napoli this month, and despite the Serie A side’s huge valuation slapped on the 52-goal star’s head, he is certainly not short of suitors.

However, according to trusted transfer journalist Ben Jacobs, Kvaratskhelia’s preference at this moment in time remains a move to PSG, with the Ligue 1 giants having made the first move for his signature.

Speaking on X, Jacobs wrote: “Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s preference is to join PSG, having been sold on a move last year.”

And with Fabrizio Romano confirming negotiations between the two clubs are underway, Jacobs added: “PSG exploring various formulas to see if a deal is possible.

“Napoli’s asking price is €80m, but they are prepared to sell in January. This is a change from their summer stance.”

With Liverpool seemingly unlikely to enter the running, Slot’s biggest challenge may be in keeping some of his fringe stars happy.

One of those, in Elliott, has already been strongly linked with moves to Borussia Dortmund and Brighton, with the England U21 midfielder having seen just 147 minutes of action so far this season.

And while Slot has refused to rule out the prospect of the player leaving, Slot admits those on the fringes face a tough challenge to break into the side.

“Recent weeks he’s been in a lot but like it is for all the others, they are in competition with the others,” said Slot. “He was unlucky he got injured and was out for a long time.

“What I have seen for all players injured, in this league, with the quality, it is not so easy to come back and be at your best immediately I see it with Harvey and all the other players who have been out six or seven weeks. We need to find the balance between playing time to get them back to their best but also be able to win.”

Latest Liverpool news: Barca to raid Anfield? New Alexander-Arnold twist

Meanwhile, Liverpool star Diaz continues to be linked with the Anfield exit door amid claims he has rejected the Reds’ first offer of a new contract and that Barcelona are targeting a fresh move to bring him to LaLiga.

Elsewhere, Liverpool have been advised that they should controversially allow Mo Salah’s contract at Anfield to lapse and that they should bid him an emotional farewell at the season’s end.

Salah is fourth on Liverpool’s all-time top-scorers list and a major reason why they are hunting four trophies this season. However, a former Premier League icon has told FSG two major reasons why they should brutally say goodbye to the 32-year-old this summer.

And finally, reports in Spain now claim Real Madrid are ‘trembling’ at the prospect of losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga side now described as serious suitors for the 26-year-old Reds vice-captain and amid claims they are willing to offer the player a hugely-attractive salary to move to the Bundesliga.

How Kvaratskhelia compares to Diaz and Gakpo this season

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