Andria Bartishvili has travelled to London to undergo a medical with Arsenal, with photographs of the Georgian teenager at the airport spreading across social media on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old has agreed a five-year contract with the Premier League champions. Although he is free to complete his medical and sign his deal now, his official arrival at the club will not come until June next year, at which point he will be eligible to feature for Mikel Arteta's squad.
Bartishvili currently lines up for Erovnuli Liga side Iberia 1999 on loan from Kolkheti 1913. Arsenal secured the transfer for a fee of €4.5m (£3.85m), with sporting director Andrea Berta and assistant Maurizio Micheli playing a key role in bringing the youngster to north London ahead of Juventus and Liverpool. The teenager, who can play as a winger or creative midfielder, has already earned two caps for Georgia's Under-21 side and carries the weight of comparison with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The day before he was photographed boarding his flight to the UK, Bartishvili posted a message of appreciation to supporters on Instagram. "A very big thank you to everyone for the congratulations," he wrote. He subsequently confirmed the London trip by sharing journalist Fabrizio Romano's Instagram post — which contained three pictures of him at the airport — to his own story.
Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol had already identified him as a player to watch, speaking about the youngster back in June. "I watched the youth team play, Bartishvili is a very talented player," Sagnol explained. "However, for a talented player to take a step forward in his career, technique alone is not enough. The right mindset is needed, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is an example of this. Hopefully, Andria and the other young players will continue to work and develop to become great players in the future."
The summer window closed at 11pm BST on Tuesday, September 1, and Arsenal's Deadline Day passed without any senior incomings, despite a prolonged association with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez. The club had moved early to get the bulk of their business finished, adding Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Illan Meslier and Piero Hincapie — whose loan from Bayer Leverkusen was made permanent — along with Ezri Konsa across the transfer period.
Departures were plentiful. Gabriel Jesus completed a switch to Barcelona, Fabio Vieira moved to Hamburg, and Ethan Nwaneri headed to Borussia Dortmund on loan during the final hours of the window. Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Reiss Nelson and Jakub Kiwior had all made their exits from the Emirates Stadium before Deadline Day arrived.
Bartishvili's agreement is one of several academy deals concluded this summer, with Igor Tyjon, Vincent Joseph, Axel Donczew, Elijah Upson and Mylo Bernard also signing on to join Arsenal's youth ranks.
Reporting: Mirror, Football.London, Evening Standard, Metro.