ARSENAL are set to win the race for Georgian wonderkid Andria Bartishvili.
The winger, 17, was photographed on Wednesday morning at an airport in Georgia as he prepared to travel for a medical in London.
Bartishvili is currently on loan at Iberia 1999 from fellow Georgian side Kolkheti 1913 and cannot move to the Gunners until he turns 18 next March.
The teenager has been tipped for the top and was scouted by several top clubs this year, including Juventus and Liverpool.
He has been compared to Paris Saint-Germain forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and signing him is viewed as a coup for Arsenal.
The Premier League champions’ pursuit of Bartishvili is thought to have been driven by Maurizio Micheli, the assistant to sporting director Andrea Berta.
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Micheli is regarded as one of the game’s top scouts and is credited with being the man that spotted Kvaratskhelia.
Bartishvili hinted over the weekend that he was joining Arsenal via his social media account.
The Gunners have made a point of signing young talent over the past 18 months as part of an academy recruitment drive.
The club has targeted young British players this summer – such as Welsh midfielder Axel Donczew and striker Igor Tyjon.
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But they have not been afraid to look overseas, too, for players with great potential.
Ecuadorian twins Edwin and Holger Quintero are a prime example of that and will be joining next year when they turn 18.