According to Georgian football insider Geo Team, representatives from both clubs travelled to watch the 17-year-old feature for Iberia 1999, on loan from Kolkheti 1913, against Tallinna FC Flora in Champions League qualifying.
Arsenal's head of scouting, Mauricio Micheli, was among those present and is understood to have been impressed by the youngster's display. Both clubs have reportedly prepared identical contract offers, with the decision now said to rest with Bartishvili and his family.
The interest is not new. Reports emerged in June that Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris FC were all working on deals for the midfielder, with the French club trying to win the race by offering guaranteed first-team football from the outset - a contrast to the pathway likely on offer at two Premier League giants with considerably more competition for places.
Bartishvili and his representatives are expected to make a final decision after his upcoming European qualifiers with Iberia 1999.
Compared by some in Georgian media to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bartishvili was named his country's Under-17 Player of the Year in 2025 and became the youngest player in Erovnuli Liga history when he made his senior debut at 16 years and two days old.
His contract situation adds urgency to the chase: his loan at Iberia 1999 runs until the end of 2026, at which point his deal with parent club Kolkheti also expires, potentially leaving him available for a limited compensation fee or even for free, depending on how any pre-contract agreement is structured.
Any move to England would in any case have to wait until after his 18th birthday in March 2027 under football's rules on international transfers of minors.
Bartishvili has made 35 senior appearances this season, scoring twice and adding two assists, having come through Dinamo Tbilisi's academy before switching to Kolkheti.
He denied claims last month that a deal with Arsenal had already been agreed, though talks were confirmed to be ongoing. For a club considered a relatively small player on the continental stage, the level of interest from three major European clubs underlines just how highly his talent is rated by scouts.