As Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia lit up the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich this week, one English club had reason to reflect on what might have been. Leeds United had the Georgian winger on their transfer shortlist ahead of the 2021/22 season — and talks actually took place.

A name on the scouting radar

Kvaratskhelia had caught Leeds' attention after contributing to 12 goals for Russian side Rubin Kazan during the 2020/21 campaign. At the time, the then-20-year-old was a relatively unknown figure outside of Eastern Europe, but Leeds' scouting department had identified him as a potential target.

Kvaratskhelia himself confirmed the contact. Speaking to Georgian television station Rustavi 2 at the time, he said:

"Negotiations are underway with many clubs. We are already in a decisive phase. Negotiations with Leeds? Yes, they've been conducted and may resume."

How far those talks progressed, however, remains unclear. Leeds had spent considerably — by the standards of a newly-promoted side — the previous summer and were determined to add only a handful of players following their ninth-place finish under Marcelo Bielsa.

Daniel James chosen over the unknown

Ultimately, Leeds opted for a more cautious route. Rather than gambling on a little-known winger plying his trade in the Russian Premier League, the club waited until the close of the transfer window to sign Daniel James, a winger with established Premier League experience. The Welshman, they decided, represented the safer investment.

Kvaratskhelia did not leave Russia that summer either. He remained at Rubin Kazan until FIFA regulations in 2022 — introduced following Russia's invasion of Ukraine — allowed players under contract with Russian clubs to unilaterally suspend their deals and join clubs elsewhere.

The winger returned to Georgia, spending the remainder of the 2021/22 season at Dinamo Batumi, where he scored 8 goals and registered 2 assists. That performance convinced Napoli to spend a reported €10–12 million on him, bringing Kvaratskhelia into Europe's major leagues at the age of 21.

Napoli, Naples, and a nickname

The investment proved transformational — for Napoli, at least. Nicknamed "Kvaradona" by fans in Naples, Kvaratskhelia helped the club claim the Serie A title in his debut season at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. By January 2025, PSG came calling, and he joined the French giants months before they clinched their first-ever Champions League triumph.

Across his spells at Napoli and PSG, Kvaratskhelia has scored a combined 54 goals. Leeds, meanwhile, signed Brenden Aaronson, Marc Roca, Rasmus Kristensen, Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams, and Willy Gnonto in the summer of 2022 and were subsequently relegated at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The logic was sound — in hindsight, costly

The decision not to pursue Kvaratskhelia more aggressively was, at the time, considered reasonable. The demands of consolidating Premier League status made proven experience a priority over potential. Had Leeds signed him in 2021 or 2022, it is likely he would have held a relegation-triggered loan release clause — as many of their signings from that era did.

The parallel with Raphinha is an instructive one. The Brazilian was signed by Leeds from relatively modest surroundings and thrived at Elland Road before departing for one of Europe's elite clubs. Kvaratskhelia's trajectory suggests he could have followed a similar path — had the negotiating teams found common ground.

In football transfers, talks are a constant. Not every conversation ends in a signing. But as Kvaratskhelia continues to dazzle on Europe's biggest stage, the one that got away from Leeds feels particularly significant.