Arsenal and Liverpool Target Georgian Star Andria Bartishvili
Liverpool and Arsenal are circling one of Georgia’s brightest young talents – and the clock on his contract is inviting a bargain.
Andria Bartishvili, just 17, has forced his way into the Georgian top flight this season, racking up double‑digit appearances and marking his arrival with a decisive first senior goal in a 1-0 win over Gagra. Locally, they talk about him as the next big export. Not in whispers, either.
An attacking midfielder by trade, Bartishvili is currently on loan at FC Iberia 1999 from parent club Kolkheti 1913. On paper, it sounds routine: a teenager sent out to play, to learn, to toughen up. On the pitch, it has moved far beyond that.
He operates comfortably as a classic No 10 or drifting in from the left, a 170cm playmaker who lives in tight spaces and thrives when defenders get too close. Sharp changes of direction, quick feet in traffic, the confidence to take on his man one‑v‑one – the raw materials are all there. Back home, the comparisons with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have already started. That is a heavy name to carry for a teenager. He has not shrugged it off.
Contract Intrigue
The real intrigue sits in his contract.
Bartishvili’s loan at Iberia 1999 runs until the end of 2026. At that point he is due to return to Kolkheti Poti – but his deal with the parent club also expires then. It is a rare alignment that could leave him available on a free transfer or for only minimal compensation. For Europe’s recruitment departments, that kind of profile and price is a flashing green light.
Interest from Top Clubs
Arsenal have already tried to steal a march. Reports suggest the London club are preparing a pre‑contract offer designed to exploit that window, essentially a Bosman‑style move to lock him in before the market fully wakes up. A fee in the region of £2 million has been mentioned as the level they would be willing to pay, a figure that now serves as a rough benchmark for any negotiations.
But the race has tightened.
Reliable Georgian outlet “Geo Team” reported on X that three clubs are now actively working on a deal: Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, and Paris FC. According to their information, Bartishvili has not yet reached an agreement with Arsenal, despite earlier noise around a potential move.
The offers from Liverpool and Arsenal are described as identical. That leaves room for other levers: pathway, minutes, trust. This is where Paris FC have stepped in aggressively, attempting to tilt the conversation by promising guaranteed first‑team playing time from the start. For a 17‑year‑old on the verge of a breakout, that is no small detail.
Liverpool’s interest fits a familiar pattern. A technically gifted teenager, already tested in senior football, available at a modest fee with contractual leverage in play – this is the kind of profile their recruitment team has targeted repeatedly. Arsenal, under their current model, are just as keen to stockpile elite potential before it becomes unaffordable.
Final Decision
For now, though, Bartishvili is not rushing.
Per “Geo Team”, he and his representatives will make a final decision only after the upcoming European qualification matches, which he is set to play with FC Iberia 1999. Those games will be watched closely. Every sharp turn, every burst past a defender, every touch under pressure will be weighed not just by scouts, but by the player’s own camp as they choose his next step.
Three clubs, one contract quirk, and a teenager carrying the hopes of a rising football nation. Whoever wins this race will not just be signing a prospect. They will be betting on the next chapter of Georgian football’s quiet surge into Europe’s elite.
