Arsenal have had a £15million bid for Kieran Tierney rejected by Celtic according to The Scottish Sun.
The Gunners are looking to sign a new left back this summer, with the futures of both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac in doubt. Unai Emery is looking for a new young left back and it appears that Tierney currently tops the list of targets.
The same report suggests that the Gunners are likely to come back with a bigger bid in the coming days. Celtic are said to value the 22-year-old at £25million. Arsenal are said to have explored the possibility of including players such as Carl Jenkinson, Jordi Osei-Tutu, Emile Smith Rowe or Eddie Nketiah, whether they’d be offered on loan deals or permanent deals are yet to be determined.
The BBC have since confirmed this report, adding that: ‘There is optimism that an agreement will be reached between the two clubs, and personal terms are not expected to be a stumbling block.’
He may only be 22, but Tierney has a vast amount of experience, including over 100 senior games for Celtic, 12 caps for Scotland and experience in the Champions League and Europa League.
Tierney has excellent pace and work rate and would really fit into Emery’s long term plans at Arsenal. Much like Bellerin he is great going forward, but also has the speed, stamina and aggression to recover and defend well.
£25million may seem a lot for someone playing in the Scottish league, but we’ve seen how van Dijk has taken his game to the next level in the Premier League and there is a sense that Tierney has similar levels of potential.
For me, it would make sense to offer Jenkinson permanently, Nketiah on loan and £18million cash as the next offer. That could be enough to satisfy Celtic’s requirements.
Arsenal should not allow Emile Smith Rowe or Nketiah to leave permanently in this deal. Both players could end up potentially being valued a lot more than a few million, their current values. The Gunners let Serge Gnabry leave for just £4.5million a few years ago and today he was named Bayern Munich’s player of the season with a market value at least 10 times that amount.