Arsenal are preparing a pre-contract offer for Georgian Under-21 midfielder Andria Bartishvili as Andrea Berta’s youth recruitment push gathers pace.
Daily Cannon, relaying Sami Mokbel’s BBC reporting, states that talks are ongoing over a move for the 17-year-old, who is contracted to Kolkheti Poti and currently on loan at Iberia 1999.
The same report notes that Juventus have also been linked, sharpening the sense that Arsenal are trying to move before the market becomes more expensive.
Andrea Berta Faces Early Test In Georgian Transfer Race
Bartishvili cannot formally move to England until after he turns 18 in March 2027, so this is not a standard senior-window chase. It is a positioning play: secure the player’s commitment early, manage the delay, and keep rival clubs from dictating the pace.
That is why recent noise around an agreement should be treated carefully. talkSPORT reported that Bartishvili has pushed back on claims that a deal has already been finalised, with Liverpool also credited with interest.
For Arsenal, the logic is obvious. Their first-team spending remains focused on immediate title-defence needs, but the best clubs also stockpile high-upside creators before they become obvious. Bartishvili, a left-footed attacking midfielder already moving through Georgia’s youth sides, fits that lane.
Arsenal’s recruitment team have been active across younger markets for months, and this pursuit sits neatly alongside the club’s wider transfer planning: aggressive, early, and increasingly global.
