Newcastle have reportedly reached a full agreement with both Vakhtang Salia and Dinamo Tbilisi for the signing of the 17-year-old forward, who will join the club when he turns 18.
The Magpies have started the season in decent fashion, with three wins, a draw and a loss in five games placing them sixth in the Premier League currently.
But Newcastle journalist Luke Edwards stated four of the club’s biggest stars have ‘all been poor’ this season, but have managed to fly under the radar.
The development of younger players could put pressure under them. Indeed, Newcastle have apparently agreed to sign a very highly-rated teenager who could become a star in the coming years.
As per HITC, the Magpies have signed 17-year-old Georgian forward Salia, who will join from Dinamo Tbilisi once he has turned 18, in August. A full agreement has been reached with both the club and the player.
And Newcastle have got him by beating some big sides to the snare, such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, all of whom were courting the young talent.
Salia is compared to Kvaratskhelia, his compatriot, who also joined a big club from Tbilisi, and it’s believed he will be the latest youngster to develop into a star at Newcastle, with the hopes that Garang Kuol can also do so, after the sale of Yankuba Minteh for a large profit.
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There will be hope that he can reach a similar level to Kvaratskhelia, who has directly contributed to 55 goals for Napoli in 94 appearances, and has 17 Georgia goals to his name.
Salia has four goals and two assists in 30 senior games to this point in his career, including a goal in European competition, as he scored in Europa Conference League qualifying against Mornar Bar.
The report suggests that signings of the likes of Salia show Newcastle to be a destination for ambitious young talent, rather than high-profile superstars.
If Salia and the like break through into the first team and play well, it will be hard to argue with the Magpies’ scouting and youth development.
