Who is Saba Kharebashvili, the Georgian starlet interesting Real Madrid?

Real Madrid are being tipped for a swoop for Georgian wonderkid Saba Kharebashvili, a left-back who has established himself in the Dinamo Tbilisi team despite being just 16 years old. According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Kharebashvili is attracting the interest of a host of major European clubs, including Madrid and their LaLiga arch rivals, Barcelona.

Dinamo working to bolster Spanish ties

A player who made his Dinamo first-team breakthrough at 15, Kharebashvili has already registered 25 senior appearances for the 19-time Georgian champions, including 21 starts. An under-17s international, he has marked himself out as a future star with performances that have seen him marry technical ability with a degree of maturity and tactical awareness that belies his young age.

And recent off-the-field developments mark the teenager out as a prime candidate for a transfer to LaLiga. His club has moved to strengthen its links with Spanish soccer, agreeing a partnership with an organization in Spain and establishing an office in the country. Such efforts, which stand to create new avenues for securing international exposure of Georgian prospects such as Kharebashvili, are indicative of Dinamo’s ambitions to step up its exports of in-house talent.

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What other young left-backs could be future Real Madrid stars?

Alongside Kharebashvili, two other youthful left-backs have emerged as apparent contenders for a future spot in Madrid’s first-team squad. The Spanish-Moroccan 19-year-old Yusi is impressing in the club’s second team, Castilla, catching the eye with his high-octane playing style. Meanwhile, fellow Madrid youth product Rafael Obrador, a 20-year-old Mallorca native, is enjoying a highly successful loan spell at Spanish second-tier club Deportivo La Coruña.