Newcastle United have beaten Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to secure the services of Georgian wonderkid Vakhtang Salia amid comparisons with Napoli’s Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Eddie Howe’s Magpies are building a reputation for spotting under-the-radar talent in less-heralded markets.
For instance, Garang Kuol joined Newcastle United from Australian football, while Yankuba Minteh arrived for around £5 million after catching the eye in Denmark.
Newcastle starlet Kuol has been labelled a potential ‘world-class player’, even if difficult loan spells at Hearts and Volendam have impacted his reputation. Minteh, meanwhile, earned the club a massive profit when he secured a £33 million move to Brighton and Hove Albion following a stellar year at Feyenoord under Arne Slot.
HITC understands that Vakhtang Salia will now follow in the footsteps of Kuol, Minteh and co.
Newcastle have won the battle to sign the 17-year-old Georgian, shortly after his first-team debut for Dinamo Tblisi.
Newcastle beat Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to Vakhtang Salia
Salia, who will move to England when he turns 18 in August 2025, was on the radar of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
So too a Napoli side who brought Kvicha Kvaratskhelia into the mainstream when plucking the former Rubin Kazan winger from relative obscurity a couple of years ago.
Newcastle have reached an agreement with Salia’s camp as well as his current employers.
He started in both of Dinamo Tbilisi’s Europa Conference League qualifiers with Montenegrin outfit FK Mornar Bar recently, scoring in the second leg.
Back in April, HITC reported that Arsenal and Manchester City led the race for Salia initially. There was also interest from Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Man United, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.
So, while Salia may be one for the future rather than an addition for the present day, this feels like quite the coup for a Newcastle side who, under their Saudi Arabian ownership, have perhaps surprisingly emerged as a destination not for high-profile superstars and more for ambitious young talent.
Salia has been likened to Napoli star Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
Salia, interestingly, has been labelled the second coming of Kvaratskhelia by some.
Partly due to his penchant for drifting in off the left-hand side like the Napoli superstar, though the teenager can also play through the middle at centre-forward.
Georgia were one of the surprise packages of Euro 2024. And Salia is perhaps the jewel in the crown of the next group of Georgian stars, with Kvaratskhelia, Georges Mikautadze and the Liverpool-bound goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili headlining a current ‘Golden Generation’.
Liverpool secured Mamardashvili’s services after Valencia accepted a £29.5 million bid. One of the most talented young shot-stoppers on the planet – Mamardashvili has been likened to Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois – another who rose through the ranks at Dinamo Tblisi is expected to act as the long-term replacement for Alisson Becker when he finally arrives at Anfield.
Mamardashvili will spend at least one season back at Valencia on loan. As for Newcastle, it remains to be seen what their plan is for Salia.
Loan deals can be risky for young players short on senior experience – Kuol struggled while Minteh shone – so perhaps Howe will instead look to keep the youngster close to home with the odd cameo in Newcastle’s first-team group on the training pitch as he looks to develop Salia’s potential.
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