Arsenal have firmed up their interest in Andria Bartishvili with a pre-contract offer to the young midfielder, but the player still has other options to consider.
Sami Mokbel reports for the BBC that Arsenal have made a pre-contract offer to sign Andria Bartishvili, hoping to sign him towards the end of 2026 when his contract expires.
Mokbel adds that Bartishvili is believed to have other options and is still to decide on his next move, with Liverpool and Juventus credited with an interest.
But Arsenal’s Maurizio Micheli is driving the club’s move for the youngster, and it seems they’re now formalising their interest.
Mokbel had previously reported that Micheli was in attendance to watch Bartishvili playing for loan club Iberia 1999 against Flora in a Champions League qualifier.
The player’s parent club are FC Kolkheti, with both clubs playing in the Georgian football league system.
As football in Georgia operates on a calendar-year basis, Bartishvili’s loan spell won’t end until December. He also may not be eligible to formally sign for Arsenal until March 2027, when he turns 18.
The Georgia u21 international has two goals and three assists in his 24 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 in June.
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