Andria Bartishvili’s future transfer to Arsenal has been officially confirmed by the club, with the Georgia teenager to join next July.
Arsenal have officially announced that 17-year-old Andria Bartishvili has signed a pre-contract agreement to join the club in July 2027, after he turns 18.
Bartishvili currently plays for Iberia 1999 in the Georgian top flight, on loan from parent club Kolkheti 1913 in the division below.
The young winger will remain with Iberia until the end of the calendar year, and he’ll then presumably play for his parent club until he’s eligible to join Arsenal.
Though with Kolkheti struggling in the Georgian second-tier and at risk of another relegation, the player may be better off going on another short-term loan.
Previous reports had suggested that Bartishvili was signing a five-year deal with Arsenal, so it should last until 2032. The reason for the transfer delay to next summer is the player’s age, meaning he isn’t eligible to join Arsenal until after his birthday in March.
Bartishvili already shared a message of thanks to everyone commenting on his Arsenal move prior to the official announcement, writing on Instagram: “A very big thank you to everyone for the congratulations”
Arsenal won the race for Bartishvili amid strong competition for the player’s signature, with Liverpool and Juventus also reportedly interested.
Arsenal’s Maurizio Micheli drove the club’s move, recently attending one of Bartishvili’s matches for loan club Iberia against Flora in a Champions League qualifier.
Bartishvili is often listed as an attacking midfielder on websites covering his career so far, but he has a clear preference for the left-hand side and arguably ends up acting more like a left-winger a lot of the time. Arsenal called him a winger in their transfer announcement.
The Georgia u21 international has two goals and three assists in his 24 games for current loan club Iberia 1999, 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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