Arsenal open talks with Georgian youngster’s representatives

Arsenal are interested in Georgian youngster Andria Bartishvili, joining Juventus in talks with the player’s representatives.

LaGazzetta.ge reports that Arsenal are showing great interest in Andria Bartishvili this summer, with negotiations already underway. Both the Gunners and Juventus are currently in talks with the player’s representatives, according to the claims.

A slight complication is that Bartishvili is currently on loan from Kolkheti Poti with fellow Georgian side Iberia 1999. As football in Georgia operates on a calendar-year basis, Bartishvili’s loan spell won’t end until December.

That wouldn’t prevent the three clubs from coming to an agreement to end the loan early and send the player off to Arsenal, but the bigger issue is that Bartishvili is still just 17 years old.

The teenager wouldn’t be able to formally join Arsenal until his 18th birthday in March 2027, but he could sign a pre-contract agreement with the Gunners like Victor Ozhianvuna, Edwin Quintero, and Holger Quintero all have recently.

The upside is that Arsenal can happily let Bartishvili complete his current loan spell, as they won’t be able to bring him in until next year anyway.

So far, the Georgia u21 international has two goals and two assists in his 14 games for Iberia, with all of those goal contributions coming since he broke into the starting lineup at the start of May.

Bartishvili has also played for the Georgia u16s, u17s, u19s, and u21s in his young career, scoring two goals in two games for the u19s earlier this month.

• Arsenal open talks with Georgian youngster’s representatives
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