Who is Saba Kharebashvili? Liverpool and Real Madrid eye wonderkid

​

UEFA history maker 

©TM/IMAGO

Saba Kharebashvili remains relatively unknown, even by the most fanatical football fans, but the Georgian is one of the most exciting young defenders in the world. Kharebashvili is the youngest player to play for Dinamo Tblisi’s in their history and he’s also the youngster player to ever feature in UEFA club competitions after debuting in the Conference League this season, aged just 15 years and ten months. Kharebashvili is the latest player to emerge from Tlblisi’s impressive academy, which has notably produced Khvicha Kvararskhelia and Giorgi Mamardashvili in recent years.

European giants are actively monitoring young talents progressing through Tbilisi’s academy with Newcastle securing the signature of Vakhtang Salia last summer and Bayern Munich signing Luka Parkadze in 2023. Homegrown Georgian starlets can’t join foreign clubs until they are 18 so Kharebashvili can’t move until September 2026 but transfers can be agreed in advance with major European clubs lurking.

Who is Saba Kharebashvili?

The 16-year-old has already amassed 28 professional appearances for Tbilisi in the Georgian top-flight and is widely regarded as the best youngster in the league. Kharebashvili is predominantly a left-back but has also been deployed in midfield as he’s incredibly comfortable in possession. The left-footed starlet is a regular for Gerogia’s U19 team and he’s already the third most valuable U17 defender in the world. Georgiy Lekarev, Transfermarkt’s Georgian football expert, has provided a detailed lowdown on the youngster.

Lekarev said: “He’s considered one of Georgia’s most talented players of the current generation. He was brought up as a supporting midfielder, but retrained as a wing-back – on both sides. He is more comfortable on the left side, but he’s also performed well on the right. He is a versatile player with impressive physicality and in the youth team, Kharebashvili was even used as a 10.

“He’s well-suited to playing at a side that presses high with high-speed counterattacks. Kharebashvili is a very hard-working player and he covers every blade of glass. He’s also got an excellent temperament and he has no problems with discipline. He possesses good technique, passing ability, power, positioning and speed. There have been some issues with tackling but that should improve with experience.”

Who wants to sign Saba Kharebashvili and how much will he cost?

Kharebashvili will be on the radar of all the biggest clubs in Europe as they look to unearth a potential diamond for a bargain fee. Real Madrid were heavily linked last year with Tlblisi having strong links to Spanish football – Barcelona are also rumoured to be interested. Liverpool are also known admirers and they will need to replace first-choice left-back Andy Robertson over the next few years. The Anfield club have already agreed a deal to sign his countryman Mamardashvili with the Valencia goalkeeper to move to Merseyside this summer.

Kharebashvili is currently valued at just €800k but it will take a substantially higher offer for Tbilisi to sell and they will hope a bidding war emerges. Their record sale is Giorgi Kinkladze’s €4m departure for Manchester City in 1995 but they received €3.85m for Mamardashvili in 2022. A multi-million pound offer with future incentives will be required for Tbilisi to sell their biggest asset.