Chelsea lead Arsenal in race for Kvaratskhelia with transfer expected

9 Sept 2026 11:03 BST |
3 min read

Make us your Google favourite

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign the 16-year-old brother of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Article continues under the video

Tornike Kvaratskhelia currently plays for Dinamo Tblisi, the same club where his brother came through the ranks, and is attracting attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Like his brother, Kvaratskhelia is a winger and the teenager has already made his senior debut for Dinamo despite his age, while he also trained with Bayern Munich in May and played for their youth side.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea and Tottenham are the frontrunners to sign Kvaratskhelia in the hopes the youngster can follow in his brother’s footsteps into stardom.

Competition is said to be heating up, with Bayern still keen to pursue a deal after their earlier interest, while the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa are all believed to have made contact over a move.

However, with British clubs being unable to sign foreign players under the age of 18, a deal for Kvaratskhelia cannot be agreed until 2028 if he is to move to England, meaning the race could develop over the next two years instead of being resolved imminently.

Kvaratskhelia junior hoping to eclipse brother with potential Premier League move

Both brothers started their career with Dinamo, with Khvicha making just four appearances for his boyhood club before leaving and eventually earning a move to Napoli in 2022, where he became a breakout star.

© IMAGO – Tornike Kvaratskhelia is wanted by a host of Premier League clubs.

Having not moved to a major league until the age of 21, there is optimism that the younger Kvaratskhelia could have an even more rapid progression if he makes the right move from Dinamo.

With Tornike having only turned 16 in February, there is still plenty room for the winger to develop with Dinamo, but a move to the Premier League may be the most likely outcome in the coming years.

Newcastle and Arsenal are said to be ‘fully aware’ of Kvaratskhelia’s situation, with both clubs having moved for young Georgian talent in recent months.

Kvaratskhelia’s former teammate Vakhtang Salia joined Newcastle’s youth team last year from Dinamo, while Andria Bartishvili will join Arsenal in March from Kolkheti 1913 when he turns 18.