Liverpool and Arsenal Target Georgia’s Rising Star Bartishvili
Liverpool and Arsenal are circling one of Georgia’s brightest young talents – and the race already feels tense.
Liverpool join scramble for Bartishvili
Andria Bartishvili, just 17, has forced his way into the Georgian topflight this season and straight onto the radar of some of Europe’s sharpest recruiters. The attacking midfielder has already hit double figures for league appearances and marked his breakthrough with a decisive first senior goal in a 1-0 win over Gagra.
He plays his club football on loan at FC Iberia 1999, but his registration belongs to Kolkheti 1913. On paper, that sounds straightforward. It isn’t.
Bartishvili’s loan at Iberia 1999 runs until the end of 2026. At the same time, his contract with parent club Kolkheti Poti also expires. When that date hits, he walks away for nothing or for a minimal compensation fee. For elite clubs hunting value in a ruthless market, that kind of contractual wrinkle is gold dust.
Arsenal have already tried to move early. Reports suggest the London club are preparing a pre-contract-style offer, aiming to lock in a Bosman-type deal before rivals can apply real pressure. A fee in the region of £2m has been floated as a reference point for what it might take to persuade his current clubs to do business ahead of time.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris FC in three-way push
The situation has accelerated in recent days. Well-regarded 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 reached an agreement with Arsenal. The offers on the table from the two English clubs are described as “identical,” leaving Paris FC to attack the problem from a different angle. The French side are said to be promising guaranteed first-team minutes from the start, a powerful card when you are talking to a 17-year-old who has only just broken into senior football.
That pitch goes right to the heart of the decision in front of Bartishvili and his camp: join a European giant and fight through an academy and loan maze, or choose a smaller stage with the promise of immediate responsibility.
Georgia’s next big export?
Back home, Bartishvili is already drawing inevitable comparisons. At 170cm, he operates either as a classic No 10 or drifting in from the left, where he can receive on the half-turn and run at defenders. Tight close control, sharp changes of direction, the confidence to take opponents on one-v-one – the traits have led some in Georgia to liken him to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the country’s current standard-bearer in European football.
Those comparisons are heavy for any teenager, but they explain why big clubs are willing to plan two years ahead for a player who is still at the start of his career.
For now, Bartishvili’s focus stays on the pitch. “Geo Team” report that he and his representatives will only make a final call after upcoming European qualification matches, which he is set to play with FC Iberia 1999. Perform well there, and the queue at his door may grow even longer.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Paris FC – three clubs, three very different pathways. The next step belongs to a 17-year-old from Georgia who suddenly holds all the leverage.
