Kolkheti 1913 attacker Andria Bartishvili has reportedly signed a five-year contract to join Arsenal today.
Arsenal have been trying to get a deal for the 17-year-old over the line all summer, and an agreement has been reached with the Emirates Stadium club.
However, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta will have to wait until next summer as Bartishvili is not moving to the North London club until 2027.
The teenage sensation and his agent, Giorgi Jugheli, were at Arsenal’s training ground this afternoon to complete the deal.
The Georgian will continue his development with Iberia 1999 having joined them on a year-long loan in January.
Bartishvili has been dubbed the biggest Georgian talent since Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and the Gunners will be glad to have pipped suitors to his services.
The new Arsenal signing has played 41 games at senior level in the Georgian top-flight, weighing in with two goals and four assists.
The fans would have loved to have him immediately, but foreign players must be 18 years old to register and play senior football in the Premier League due to FIFA rules on international transfers and post-Brexit UK immigration laws.
It is unknown whether Arsenal will make any official announcement to confirm the recruitment of Bartishvili.
However, it is a done deal and the North London club will continue to monitor his progress ahead of next summer.
It was largely an underwhelming summer transfer window for the Gunners after they failed to sign some of their key targets.
They spent £165 million to add Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis to their squad, while Illan Meslier joined for free.
However, fans expected more and Arteta will hope he has enough squad depth to challenge across all competitions this season.
Related Topics