Manchester City scout watches winger in action during Champions League clash between Barcelona and Napoli

Premier League champions Manchester City have reportedly assessed the performance of one of Europe’s brightest talents during a recent UEFA Champions League clash.

The latest links between Manchester City and a new winger come just seven months after the recruitment of Belgian international forward Jeremy Doku, and their recent agreement struck with exciting City Football Group talent Savio.

Doku has endured a mixed start to life in Sky Blue, registering a commendable number of goals and assists during the first-half of the season, but somewhat struggling with elements of decision making over the last few weeks in particular.

Successive groin injuries sustained by Jack Grealish have left Pep Guardiola short in wide options in recent matches, and that fitness problem has coincided with Manchester City now being linked with another name ahead of the reopening of the summer market.

According to the information of HITC, a scout working on behalf of Manchester City was in attendance to watch Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during their 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League last-16 this week.

It is detailed that the Etihad Stadium club are continuing to ‘keep tabs’ on Kvaratskhelia, and have done so since his move to Italy from Dinamo Batumi in 2022, while Premier League rivals Liverpool and Newcastle are also described as ‘massive fans’ of the Georgia international.

After a blockbuster 2022/23 season with the Naples-based club, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has seen somewhat of a downturn in his productivity in front of goal, scoring 10 and assisting six across his 37 appearances in all competitions.

In contrast, the Georgian forward scored a staggering 14 goals and provided a further 17 assists in just 43 appearances across all competitions last season, sparking a Europe-wide hunt for the player’s signature.

Napoli may be inclined to keep hold of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer however, with club officials less intent on selling the player in the same market as Nigerian forward star Victor Osimhen.