Arsenal defender 'agrees' summer return to boyhood club | OneFootball

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney is set to pen a pre-contract agreement which will take him back to Celtic on a free transfer this summer, according to a report.

The Scotland international arrived at Arsenal in 2019, leaving his boyhood club for a fee in the region of £25m. Tierney spent last season on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad, but had his impact in the Basque Country hampered by injury - a cruel fate which has punctuated his entire Gunners career.

Tierney has missed at least ten games through fitness concerns during all but one of his five full seasons in England's capital. Mikel Arteta has rarely turned to the buccaneering full-back in recent years, instead deploying players more comfortable wandering into midfield.

Arsenal opted against triggering a one-year extension in Tierney's existing contract, which will be allowed to expire in June. Celtic had been heavily linked with a move for their academy graduate, and now The Telegraph claim that the left-back is "on the verge" of agreeing his return to Glasgow.

Kieran Tierney made 170 appearances and won eight trophies during his first spell at Celtic / Mark Runnacles/GettyImages

As he is already in the last six months of his Arsenal deal, Tierney is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside England before joining up with his future employers in the summer. Fellow midfielders Thomas Partey and Jorginho are both in the same position as their Scottish teammate, although the latter is considering an exit this month.

Bayer Leverkusen, Sevilla and Juventus all reportedly showed interest in Tierney before he settled on a return to Scotland.

Celtic are no strangers to Tierney's fickle fitness misfortune, although he remains an immensely popular figure in the green half of Glasgow.

The left-back famously had to be taken off during the 2017 Scottish Cup final after losing multiple teeth. Fortunately his dentist was in the stands at Hampden Park and performed emergency surgery on the defender at his nearby practice while his Celtic teammates won the showpiece fixture. Tierney, still with blood around his mouth, returned in time to lift the cup.