Arsenal are monitoring this fortnight’s UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds with a very specific transfer interest driving their attention.

The Premier League champions have not needed to participate in the qualifying stages of Europe’s elite competition for over a decade, last doing so in 2014.

That occasion saw Alexis Sanchez score the goal that sent Besiktas crashing out, with Arsenal progressing 1-0 on aggregate to reach the group stage.

UEFA rules have since changed, meaning the top five clubs in the Premier League now receive direct entry into the revamped league phase without needing to qualify.

Ordinarily, Arsenal would pay little attention to the qualifying rounds during the summer, but this year those games overlap meaningfully with the transfer window.

The club have a keen interest in the progress of Georgian side Iberia 1999, who face Estonian club Flora in the first qualifying round, with the first leg scheduled for Wednesday, July 8.

Should Iberia 1999 advance, they would enter Group 2 of the second qualifying round as the unseeded side, where Serbian club Slovan Bratislava would await them.

Win that, and further progress could eventually lead Iberia 1999 into the play-off round, with a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League the ultimate prize.

Arsenal’s interest in the club’s journey centres on 17-year-old Georgian attacking midfielder Andria Bartishvili, who is currently on loan from Kolkheti Poti.

With Bartishvili’s contract set to expire at the end of the year and no renewal in place, clubs can already negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the teenager.

Liverpool and French side Paris FC are also understood to be tracking the youngster, making the competition for his signature genuinely fierce.

Reports suggest Bartishvili wants to honour his commitments in the Champions League qualification campaign before making any decision about his next club.

Arsenal’s head of scouting Maurizio Micheli, appointed under sporting director Andrea Berta, has a well-established track record of identifying elite Georgian talent.

Micheli’s history includes spotting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, which gives Arsenal confidence that Bartishvili could represent another outstanding find from that region.

However, the Gunners will be aware of recent frustrations in similar pursuits, having previously missed out on both Jeremy Monga and Emmanuel Mbemba.

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