Celtic have been in talks to re-sign Kieran Tierney under a pre-contract from Arsenal that would end the Scotland international's stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Full-back Tierney joined Arsenal from the Scottish giants for £25m in August 2019 but has not featured in the Premier League since May 2023, due to a hamstring injury that has kept him out for most of the current campaign.
The 27-year-old participated in 125 matches for the club, but missed more than 60 matches due to injuries, which required surgery for shoulder and knee problems.
Happy birthday Kieran Tierney 🥳 pic.twitter.com/gBZq5fxIkb
– Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 5, 2024
Tierney contract
Tierney, the 2019/20 FA Cup winner, signed a new four-year contract in 2021, when Arsenal described him as an “integral part of the team”.
“KT gives us a lot of extra strength defensively and offensively,” manager Mikel Arteta said at the time. “It's great to know he's going to be with us for the long term.”
Tierney spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad, but missed 15 matches for the Spanish team due to a hamstring injury and two due to a problem in the adductor muscle.
Tierney statistics
Celtic academy product Tierney could be about to return to the club where he made 170 appearances during his first spell.
The Hoops have won the Scottish Premiership four times, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup twice with the help of the Isle of Man-born defender.
Keren Tierney ➡️ John McGinn ➡️ ⚽️#Skovro pic.twitter.com/QB5FEryDGV
– Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 31, 2021
After dislocating his shoulder while playing for Arsenal at West Ham in 2019, Tierney returned to play in 10 consecutive league games and started the FA Cup final win over Chelsea.
He set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second goal in their 2-0 semi-final win over Manchester City, as well as scoring and providing the assist in the final league game of the season, a 3-2 win over Watford.
Knee surgery in March 2022 and the signing of left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko in July meant Tierney became a fringe player for Arteta.
He made his debut for Scotland as an 18-year-old in 2016, earning 47 caps and starting four of their six matches at Euro 2020 and 2024.
