Arsenal have taken the first steps towards securing the signature of Georgian forward Andria Bartishvili, with the young striker travelling to London to complete a medical ahead of a future transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
Bartishvili, who currently plies his trade on loan at Iberia 1999 in Georgia's Erovnuli Liga from parent club Kolkheti 1913, was pictured arriving at the airport before boarding a flight to the English capital. Confirmation of his journey came after the teenager reposted images shared by Italian transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, who documented the striker's departure with a series of photographs on social media.
Despite the summer transfer window officially shutting at 11pm BST on September 1, Bartishvili has been permitted to undergo his medical examination and put pen to paper on a contract before that deadline. The reason lies in the structure of the deal itself: the agreement will not formally register until June 2027, meaning Arsenal are able to finalise the paperwork now without it counting against this window's registration period.
Once the move becomes official next summer, Bartishvili will not be immediately available for first-team selection. Instead, he will need to wait until the following June - 2027 - before he is eligible to represent Mikel Arteta's squad competitively. The arrangement mirrors a growing trend among top European clubs of agreeing long-term deals for promising young talents well in advance of their actual switch, allowing them to lock in rising stars before other suitors can intervene.
The development comes at the end of what was, by Arsenal's own standards, a relatively subdued conclusion to the summer transfer window. The Gunners made no fresh signings on deadline day itself, despite persistent speculation linking them with Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, who has been the subject of transfer talk amid reported discontent at his current club. No formal move for the Argentine materialised before the window closed.
Arsenal's relative inactivity on the final day reflected a strategy of getting the bulk of their summer business completed early. The Premier League champions had already brought in a number of new faces well before the deadline, including midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, winger Christos Tzolis and goalkeeper Ilan Meslier. They also converted the loan signing of defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent deal, cementing his long-term future at the club.
On the outgoing side, Arsenal saw several established squad members depart the Emirates Stadium during the window. Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Reiss Nelson and Jakub Kiwior all left the club as Arteta continued to reshape his squad, freeing up space and resources for further incomings.
While Bartishvili's arrival will not have an immediate impact on the first-team picture, his move underlines Arsenal's continued focus on identifying and securing talented young players from emerging footballing markets. The forward will continue his development in Georgian football for now, with Arsenal content to wait patiently for their new recruit to mature before he eventually links up with the north London club in two years' time.
Based on reporting from standard-football.