Manchester United plot January swoop for 'new Maradona' amid winger crisis: report
Manchester United are on the lookout for another wide player with Antony and Jadon Sancho currently unavailable
Manchester United could be set to make Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia their top transfer target for the January window, according to reports.
The Red Devils suddenly find themselves short of wide options after Antony and Jadon Sancho both stepped away from the first team.
The Brazilian has been given an extended leave of absence amid domestic violence allegations, while Sancho is currently training individually following a disciplinary matter.
Erik ten Hag explained that Sancho was not involved in United's recent game against Arsenal because of a perceived lack of application in training, but the player publicly pushed back against his manager's assessment.
It is not clear whether or not Sancho will play for the club again, with United confirming earlier this week that he is currently "on a personal training programme away from the first team group".
Ten Hag is therefore keen to bolster his attacking options in the mid-season market and the Daily Mail report that Kvaratskhelia is one name under consideration.
The Georgia international, who is valued at €85m by Transfermarkt, would be difficult to get out of Napoli in the middle of the campaign, however.
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Kvaratskhelia was an integral part of the Italian side's Serie A title triumph last term, and Napoli are unlikely to entertain any offers for the winger until next summer at the earliest.
Manchester United return to Premier League action after the international break with a game against Brighton on Saturday.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).