Real Madrid target admits he’s keen on Newcastle switch and wants to join ‘miracle player’ on Tyneside

Newcastle United pulled off quite the coup recently when beating Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and co to one of European football’s rising talents.

TBR can confirm that Premier League champions Man City were keen on Vakhtang Salia. City were even leading the chase at one point.

Reigning European champions Real Madrid were in the mix too. As were, amongst others, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.

Salia – Newcastle will bring him to St James’ Park when he turns 18 in 2025 – is clearly a player of considerable promise and potential.

Saba Kharebashvili, a team mate and close friend of his at Dinamo Tbilisi, certainly thinks so. In fact, Kharebashvili would like to follow in Salia’s footsteps at some point down the line, in the hope that Newcastle have another Georgian wonderkid on their radar.

Saba Kharebashvili keen to join Vakhtang Salia at Newcastle United

“There are a lot of talented players in the Dynamo academy,” Kharebashvili tells La Gazzetta. “And it’s nice that they have the opportunity to play in a big team. For example, Vakhtang Salia, who was recently sold to Newcastle.

“Salia and I have been together since childhood. He is a miracle person and a miracle player. He has all the [qualities] that to play in the Premier League. When my best friend goes to Newcastle, it [gives me] a great motivation to do the same.

“I believe and he is motivated to score goals and establish himself.”

Salia may be only 17 but he is one of the first names on the Dinamo Tbilisi team sheet these days. He’s even scored six times across his 28 league appearances this season. And, while he may be a centre-forward by trade, Salia has earned comparisons with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard due to his impressive passing range and technical qualities.

Kharebashvili, meanwhile, sees himself more as a Joshua Kimmich type. Like the Bayern Munich stalwart, Kharebashvili is comfortably playing both at full-back and in midfield.