Arsenal transfer news: Kieran Tierney ‘offered life-changing contract to leave Celtic’
Arsenal are reportedly planning to offer Celtic defender Kieran Tierney a lucrative contract in their attempts to bring him to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The Premier League outfit recently had a bid of £15 million turned down for the Scottish full-back but are expected to go back with a higher bid sooner rather than later.
Will Tierney’s head be turned by Arsenal? Five things to know…
- Tierney signed a six-year-deal with Celtic in 2017, with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 season.
- Celtic have again reached the Champions League qualifiers whereas Arsenal will be competing in the Europa League next season.
- Arsenal only have a reported summer transfer budget of £45 million.
- Tierney made 20 league appearances during the 2018/19 season as Celtic won yet another Scottish Premiership title.
- The 22-year-old has 12 caps for Scotland but is constantly competing with Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson for a starting place.
Tierney is a highly sought after defender following his impressive displays in a Celtic shirt across the past few seasons. In that time, he has won a host of titles and honours including four Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
At such a young age, Tierney’s experience of working within a winning culture, alongside his nine appearances in the Champions League, makes him a player that would bolster Unai Emery’s defensive options significantly.
Reports suggest that Arsenal are prepared to offer a lucrative long-term deal with wages of £70,000-a-week, representing a significant upgrade on Tierney’s deal at Parkhead.
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However, the north London club are yet to reach an agreement with Celtic, with their £15 million offer falling short of the Scottish champions’ valuation.
Former Scotland international James McFadden has labelled Arsenal’s offer as a “pittance”, insisting that Tierney already has similar quality as former Celtic centre-back turned Liverpool hero Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, McFadden said: “We talk about not just John McGinn, (Virgil) Van Dijk, (Victor) Wanyama.
“Van Dijk moves down for £13 million plus his sell-on clause then goes for £75 million. I think Kieran Tierney’s certainly at that level.
“We’re not talking about him going to a smaller side to build himself up. It’s one of the top sides in England coming and saying we’re going to take your best player for a pittance.”
If Arsenal are going to get their hands on the left-back it seems they will need to dig deeper into their transfer budget to ensure Tierney is a Gunner come August.
