Arsenal Pursue Georgian Midfielder Andria Bartishvili Early

Arsenal have stepped up their pursuit of highly rated Georgian midfielder Andria Bartishvili, tabling a pre-contract offer as they try to steal a march on Liverpool and Juventus.

Sami Mokbel reports for the BBC that the Gunners have put a proposal on the table to secure Bartishvili once his current deal runs down towards the end of 2026. It is a long play, but a deliberate one.

The 17-year-old is not short of admirers. Liverpool and Juventus are both credited with interest, and Bartishvili is understood to be weighing up his options before deciding on his next move.

Inside Arsenal, one figure is driving the chase. Maurizio Micheli, a key recruitment voice at the club, has been pushing hard for the youngster and is now seeing that interest formalised.

Micheli has already put boots on the ground. He was in the stands recently to watch Bartishvili turn out for Iberia 1999 in a Champions League qualifier against Flora, a clear sign of how seriously Arsenal are treating this pursuit.

Bartishvili’s situation is slightly unusual. His parent club is FC Kolkheti, with both Kolkheti and Iberia competing in the Georgian league system, which runs on a calendar-year schedule. That means his loan at Iberia does not end until December.

There is another wrinkle. Because of his age, Bartishvili may not be able to formally sign for Arsenal until March 2027, when he turns 18. Any agreement now would be about positioning, not an immediate arrival.

On the pitch, his trajectory has spiked sharply in recent months. For Iberia, the Georgia youth international has produced two goals and three assists in 24 appearances, with every one of those goal contributions coming after he broke into the starting XI at the start of May.

Once he got in, he stayed in. And he started deciding games.

His rise has been mirrored on the international stage. Bartishvili has already represented Georgia at u16, u17, u19 and u21 level, an unusually rapid climb through the age groups. In June, he scored twice in two matches for the u19s, underlining why major clubs are tracking him so closely.

For now, the choice rests with the player. Arsenal have made their move early, betting that a teenage midfielder from Georgia can grow into a long-term asset in north London, while Liverpool and Juventus wait in the wings.

If Bartishvili’s next decision matches the speed of his recent development, his future could shape part of Europe’s midfield landscape for the next decade.