Arsenal beat Liverpool with deal to sign Andria Bartishvili
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Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign 17-year-old attacking midfielder Andria Bartishvili, beating competition from Liverpool and other European clubs after months of work on the transfer.
The Georgian youngster is expected to join Arsenal in March 2027, when he turns 18. UK regulations prevent the Gunners from bringing him to London before then.
It is believed to be a five year deal with a fee of around €4.5m. He is expected to have a medical on Tuesday, 1 September.
Arsenal opened talks for Bartishvili two months ago with the player on loan at Iberia 1999 from Kolkheti Poti. His current loan runs until the end of the Georgian season in December, with domestic football there operating on a calendar-year basis.
An Arsenal pre-contract was presented to Bartishvili last week, although at that stage it was not certain that he would choose Arsenal, with other offers still on the table.
By then, Liverpool had also entered the picture, while Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus were also among the clubs interested in the Georgia Under-21 international.
The midfielder has two goals and three assists in 24 appearances for Iberia 1999. All five of those goal contributions have come since he broke into the starting line-up at the beginning of May.
