Celtic are ready to battle Premier League clubs for the signing of Kieran Tierney over the next couple of transfer windows, according to a report.
David Ornstein broke the news for The Athletic earlier this week that Kieran Tierney is set to leave Arsenal, with the Gunners opting not to activate their option to extend his contract.
Tierney currently has a deal lasting until the end of the season, and Arsenal had the opportunity to trigger an extra year, taking it to 2026.
But the deadline for that option has now passed, meaning Tierney is about to enter the final six months of his contract. He can agree a pre-contract with a non-English club in January, and he’ll be able to talk to English clubs about a free transfer in May.
Sam Dean reports for The Telegraph that Celtic are expected to push to bring Tierney back to his boyhood club, but he adds that they’re ready to battle Premier League clubs for the player’s signature.
It seems there will be plenty of interest in Tierney in 2025, and the defender could even leave Arsenal in the January transfer window. Any interested clubs would have to pay a fee to sign him in January, but there may be some willing to do so now that he’s back from his hamstring injury.
Tierney was widely expected to leave Arsenal over the 2024 summer window, but his injury during the European Championships effectively denied him that chance.
For the time being, Tierney has a few more games with Arsenal before the January window opens, and Mikel Arteta has suggested he avoided serious injury despite coming off early in Wednesday’s game against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners face the same opposition on Saturday, with Tierney competing against youth talent Myles Lewis-Skelly for a start. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori seemingly remain out injured.