Arsenal are reportedly keeping tabs on any interest in Celtic hero Kieran Tierney this summer.
The Gunners have been credited with an interest by The Metro in Celtic’s left-back. It’s not the first time the Gunners have been reported to have an interest in Tierney either. Back in March, the Daily Mirror stated that Unai Emery had identified the Celtic man as a summer target.
But it appears their interest in Tierney hasn’t gone away. Whilst no bid has been made, the Metro states that Arsenal are keeping an eye on developments. No formal bids have been reported for Tierney as of yet.
Only yesterday, Catalan medit outlet Mundo Deportivo denied Barcelona were interested in Tierney. They claimed that the Hoops were demanding a total of €30m, which equates roughly to £26m. So it’s fair to say the crazy rumours over Tierney’s future are now in full swing.
Celtic are in no position where they have to sell. Tierney is contracted to Celtic for the long-term (Celticfc.net), and hasn’t expressed a desire to go. He’s a Celtic man to the core, and has even admitted in the past that he could be a one-club man (The Herald).
The reality of the situation
Of course it’s easy to say that when no formal offer has come in. If Celtic do get offered a groundbreaking sum of money for their left-back, Tierney could have a big decision to make. The Hoops, however, shouldn’t entertain anything unless they have potential targets lined up as alternatives.
It shows the reputation Tierney has that he’s still reportedly attracting this level of interest too. He’s been in-and-out of the side this season, and it hasn’t been a vintage campaign from him. He’s had to undergo double hernia surgery too, so he’s hardly in peak condition at the moment.
Regardless, rumours over his future continue to build up. But Celtic will be satisfied with this in knowing that they hold all the aces there. They have a player on their hands who’s under a long-term contract and doesn’t want to leave. It would take some amount of cash to break through that.
With 10-in-a-row getting closer and closer, it could also change the way Celtic look at things. The club may have sold Moussa Dembele last summer, but with the revived competition from Rangers, would we now be as willing to let our top stars go with 10-in-a-row just two titles away?
In any case, it’s good to hear that Celtic would be demanding the going rate for top young footballers in any case. The club doesn’t seem interested in letting Tierney go for anything less. And that alone is a statement of intent.
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