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Arsenal stepping up efforts to sign Andria Bartishvili

By on July 17, 2026

Arsenal are stepping up efforts to sign exciting Georgian U21 international Andria Bartishvili this summer, according to the BBC.

The 17-year-old progressed through Dinamo Tbilisi’s academy ranks, the same academy where Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia developed. His performances have drawn comparisons to the former Napoli man, and it’s no surprise he’s being dubbed the ‘next Khvicha Kvaratskhelia‘.

His senior breakthrough came in April 2025, when he made his Kolkheti-1913 Poti debut against Samgurali Tsqaltubo, becoming the youngest player to appear in that season’s Erovnuli Liga at just 16 years and 2 days old.

Despite struggling to nail down a regular starting place since joining FC Iberia in 1999 on loan in January, the 17-year-old has continued to showcase his potential whenever called upon.

Across 16 league outings, Bartishvili has amassed over 1,000 minutes of action in all competitions, contributing two goals and three assists, and his rapid development has attracted interest from several clubs.

One of the clubs showing interest in the 17-year-old is Arsenal, with reports in June via Arsenal Station revealing that the Premier League champions are in talks to sign Bartishvili this summer.

The Gunners remain keen on the youngster, as the BBC reports in a new update that the north London giants are stepping up their efforts to sign the Georgian U21 international.

Exciting prospect

Arsenal’s recruitment specialist, Maurizio Micheli, was present at the Lilleküla Stadium last Wednesday in FC Iberia’s 3-2 win over Estonian side Flora in the UEFA Champions League first-leg qualifiers to watch Bartishvili in action, according to the report.

In that game, the attacker started on the right side of Andriy Demchenko’s front three before being replaced by Giorgi Kutsia in the 71st minute of the game.

He maintained the same position in the second leg as Iberia’s 2-2 draw secured a 5-2 aggregate win, setting up a mouth-watering second-round qualifier against 24-time Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava.

While Bartishvili would hope to have impressed Arsenal’s recruitment chief Micheli, the attacking ace is already held in high regard in his home country, with Georgian national team boss Willy Sagnol describing him as a ‘very talented player’.

A potential move for the 17-year-old would signal another statement of intent towards the club’s commitment to securing their future by not just recruiting and developing exciting prospects into their academy but also establishing a pathway to the first team.