(Reuters) – Celtic have agreed to a deal to re-sign defender Kieran Tierney from Premier League side Arsenal and are trying to get the transfer over the line by the end of the January transfer window, manager Brendan Rodgers said.
Scotland international Tierney came up through Celtic’s youth ranks and helped the Scottish Premiership side seal a domestic treble before moving to Arsenal for a reported fee of 25 million pounds ($31.12 million) in 2019.
The 27-year-old has since fallen out of favour at Arsenal and will be out of contract at the end of the season.
“He’s still, at this moment, an Arsenal player,” Rodgers told reporters on Tuesday ahead of a Champions League clash against Aston Villa. “I think we’re agreed that it will definitely take place in the summer. If we can do it beforehand, then great.
“I don’t want to speak too much on it with the greatest respect, because he’s not a Celtic player here now with us. But, if we were able to do it (in January), of course, we would like to do that, but that’s out of our control at this moment in time.”
Celtic are top of the Premiership standings with 60 points from 23 games, 10 ahead of second-placed rivals Rangers, who have played one more match.
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(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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