Premier League heavyweights Arsenal have reportedly stopped 27-year-old Scottish international Kieran Tierney from returning to Celtic in the winter transfer window.
According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, Kieran Tierney already has a pre-contract agreement to rejoin Celtic in a Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The Arsenal wide player explored the possibility of returning to his former club this month. However, the Gunners have shot down his efforts and will keep him at the Emirates for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
The rise and fall of Kieran Tierney at Arsenal
Kieran Tierney has endured a topsy-turvy ride full of high peaks and deep troughs since joining Arsenal from Celtic in a deal worth £25 million in August 2019. The Scot was hot off the blocks at the North London club and stamped his authority in his debut season at the Emirates. However, fitness issues and increasing competition for spots have sent him dropping in the pecking order.
The 27-year-old spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Real Sociedad before Arsenal kept him at the Emirates last summer. However, Tierney has barely featured for the Premier League club this term, managing only 108 minutes of game time across five appearances in all competitions thus far.
Meanwhile, Tierney has entered the final six months of his Arsenal contract, and a new deal is not on the cards for him. So, the winter transfer window was the final opportunity for Arsenal to recoup any part of the £25 million they paid to sign the Scottish international over half a decade ago.
Celtic return on the horizon?
Despite struggling for game time at Arsenal, Kieran Tierney has not had a shortage of suitors pursuing his signature. Recent reports have linked the former Celtic defender with many Premier League clubs, although his heart has been set on rejoining the Hoops. That will likely happen, with the player having a pre-contract agreement with Celtic over a Bosman move.
However, Tierney and Celtic attempted to explore a move in the winter transfer window. That might have given Arsenal some fee from his sale. However, the Gunners have blocked the Scot’s attempts to return to his former club this month.
With Arsenal still alive on all fronts, they need all hands on deck, including Tierney, in the second half of the 2024/25 season. So, the 27-year-old Scottish international will not return to Celtic in the winter transfer window, even though he will not receive much game time in the coming months.