X

Arsenal Reportedly Close to Agreeing £25M Kieran Tierney Deal with Celtic

Christopher Simpson@@CJSimpsonBRX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistJuly 31, 2019

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 19: Kieran Tierney of Celtic with the League Trophy during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian FC at Celtic Park on May 19, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

Arsenal are reportedly nearing an agreement with Celtic over a £25 million deal for Kieran Tierney. 

According to the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, the Gunners have restructured the deal, with Celtic willing to sell the left-back, provided they receive more of the fee up front.

Tierney is said to have told his club he wants the opportunity to play in the Premier League.

The move had appeared to be in jeopardy last week, with the north London outfit's offer £5 million below the Scottish champions' valuation, and Arsenal were also unwilling to increase the proportion of the fee that would be offered as an initial payment.

Football.London's James Benge believes Tierney would be an excellent addition to Arsenal's squad:

James Benge @jamesbenge

No deal done yet but Tierney would be an utterly superb signing for Arsenal. He's been on their list of targets for years but with Monreal ageing and Kolasinac still struggling in a four there's a real need for him now.

Nacho Monreal turned 33 in February, while Sead Kolasinac is yet to convince defensively, so a promising new left-back would address a problem area in the squad.

Squawka also feels he would be a shrewd purchase from the Gunners:

Squawka Football @Squawka

"Signing Kieran Tierney would represent an intelligent bit of business by Arsenal... that's not something said often." What next for Arsenal? A change in transfer strategy could be a good place to start.

Tierney only turned 22 in June, but he has been a key fixture in Celtic's back line since the 2015-16 season.

In that time, he has helped the Scottish giants win four consecutive Premiership titles, with each of the last three coming as part of a domestic treble.

With eight goals and 37 assists to his name for Celtic in 170 appearances, it's clear he has much to contribute going forward.

He's also made 12 appearances for the Scotland national team, where he's unfortunate to find that perhaps the only player better than him in the side is fellow left-back and Liverpool star Andy Robertson.

Tierney wouldn't have that issue at Arsenal, though, so he'd likely be the first choice.

He seems ready to make the step up from Scottish football, too, and at a side like Arsenal he could reach new heights in the coming years.