Barcelona express interest in Georgian starlet Giorgi Chakvetadze

Barcelona are keeping tabs on Gent youngster Giorgi Chakvetadze

At this point in time, when the squad is more or less balanced apart from a few positions like left-back, Barcelona’s main objective in the transfer market is to build for the future, with the midfield an area of concern in that regard.

Of the preferred midfield trio, only Arthur is under 30. Moreover, none of the backup players are expected to take over in the first-team in the future, despite their youth. So, Éric Abidal is looking at young midfielders to secure the first-team’s future.

Of the players being scouted, 19-year old Georgian playmaker Giorgi Chakvetadze is among the best. After breaking into the first-team of Dinamo Tbilisi, Chakvetadze made 26 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, scoring 5 goals and providing 11 assists.

Thus, he earned himself a €1.5 million move to Belgian club Gent. After joining, he was mostly on the bench, making just 19 appearances in his debut season. But this season, he has been a revelation after breaking into the first-team.

Chakvetadze has made 20 appearances in all competitions for his club, scoring 4 goals and providing the same number of assists. But his best performances have come for his nation in the UEFA Nations League this season.

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The starlet scored on his debut for Georgia against Lithuania, and has gone on to make 5 further appearances, winning two man-of-the-match awards. Arguably, the best performance of his career came in Georgia’s 3-0 victory over Latvia, where he grabbed a goal and an assist apiece.

The young playmaker is a highly technical player, with good pace and dribbling skills. But he also possesses the ability to take on opposition players physically, and can win the ball in dangerous positions for his team. He is highly one-footed, being unable to use his left foot.

Also, Chakvetadze has the tendency to hold onto the ball for too long. But at 19, he has a lot of time to work on these issues. Overall, he is a huge prospect for the future and could become one of the best midfielders in Europe if he can continue his development well.

But if Barcelona do go in for the plunge, Éric Abidal will face a competition. Bournemouth, Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham are also scouting Giorgi Chakvetadze, whereas Bayern Munich had submitted a last-gasp €6 million bid for Chakvetadze when he was at Dinamo Tbilisi.

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But Abidal should seriously consider recruiting Chakvetadze for Barcelona B, where he can lead the midfield alongside Riqui Puig before receiving a call-up to the first-team squad.

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