Kieran Tierney's Celtic return prophecy comes into view as Arsenal exit 'accepted' with salary roadblock cleared

Out of favour Kieran Tierney has reportedly accepted that he will need to leave Arsenal in January.

And that could finally see a dream return to Celtic inch closer with the Gunners said to be open to loaning the star out when the winter window opens. The Scotland defender has been sidelined through injury since returning from Euro 2024 after spending last season away from the Premier League giants at Real Sociedad. The 27-year-old is still battling back from injury but did resurface on the bench during Arsenal's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain to support his teammates.

However, Riccardo Calafiori is Mikel Arteta's go-to left back at this stage of the campaign after arriving from Bologna in the summer with Oleksandr Zinchenko set to challenge for a starting spot when he returns from injury. It leaves Tierney down the pecking order - and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reports through the Daily Briefing that the left-back has agreed to leave the club in January.

It is said there is "no animosity" between Arteta and Tierney but it has been made "clear for a long time" that Tierney is out of the picture. It is claimed he will try to secure a loan move away in January and build up his game time to secure a permanent move away from North London at the end of the campaign.

Tierney himself has never ruled out a dream return to his boyhood club - admitting in June he would only consider a move back to Celtic Park if he was "100 per cent" fit. He told The Athletic: "I’ll be a different player to what I was, as I’ve been away for years, but I wouldn’t want to go back if I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent in my body. I know the intensity and the demand to win so, if I go back, it will be when I’m still feeling good.”

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