With Saturday's FA Cup final defeat having brought Manchester United's 2022/23 campaign to a close, the main focus for manager Erik ten Hag will now be on acquiring fresh faces this summer ahead of mounting a possible title charge next term.
It is no real secret that the former Ajax boss is seemingly intent on bringing in a new centre-forward and midfielder over the coming weeks and months, although one perhaps surprise claim that emerged in recent days – as per The Telegraph – is that the Dutchman could also be looking to secure a new left-winger to add to his attacking unit.
The 53-year-old does already have the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford who can play in that wide berth, although with the latter man also a potential solution through the middle, it may make sense to increase the competition off the left.
With that in mind, there have been reports in Spain of late that revealed that Napoli sensation, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is on a list of possible summer targets that have been drawn up if Qatari investor Sheikh Jassim is to prove victorious in the ongoing ownership battle.
Despite the suggestion that the Georgian wizard could command a fee of around £120m if he is to leave Naples this summer, it would undoubtedly be a real coup if United could pull off a deal for the 22-year-old speedster.
Who could Kvaratskhelia replace at Man United?
As stated above, with top scorer Rashford – who has been regularly utilised as a centre-forward this season – having the ability to lead the line next term, it could well be £73m man, Sancho and teenage gem, Garnacho who prove the victims of Kvaratskhelia's arrival.
With United's 18-year-old dynamo having only recently signed a new long-term deal, however, it is more likely to be Sancho who is sent packing if the Napoli man is brought in this summer, with the Englishman already on "borrowed time" at Old Trafford, according to club legend Dwight Yorke.
Having scored just 12 goals and provided only six assists in 79 games across all competitions for United to date, the 23-year-old's place at the club is now said to be "under threat" – according to The Guardian's Jamie Jackson – while Manchester Evening News correspondent, Samuel Luckhurst has stated that Ten Hag is growing 'increasingly impatient' with the former Borussia Dortmund man.
The winger's woes were laid bare during the weekend's Wembley showpiece as he looked 'utterly fazed' – as per Luckhurst – before being withdrawn in the closing stages, with Garnacho, by contrast having been a real 'upgrade' on the left flank.
The signing of Kvaratskhelia could be what is needed to finally get Sancho out the door, with the Tbilisi native having proven far more impressive this term after scoring 14 goals and providing 17 assists in all competitions during his debut season in Italy, showcasing himself as something of a "phenomenon", according to journalist Mina Rzouki.
The 20-cap menace appears particularly adept at driving forward with the ball at his feet and beating his man on the flanks, as he ranks in the top 6% among his European peers for progressive carries and the top 5% for successful take-ons – with Sancho ranking in just the top 13% and the top 35% for those same two metrics, respectively.
With the United man's "confidence" looking "low" – according to pundit Tim Sherwood – turning to an "instinctive" and "untamed" talent like Kvaratskhelia, as described by journalist Rory Smith, could bring back some excitement and quality on the left flank at the Theatre of Dreams.
