Kieran Tierney hasn't ruled out a sensational return to Celtic this summer.
The Scotland international could leave Arsenal after falling down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta. Tierney made just six Premier League starts during the 2022/23 campaign and dropped down to second-choice behind Oleksandr Zinchenko, while Takehiro Tomiyasu was also used at left-back.
Tierney has been linked with a move away from north London, with Celtic, Aston Villa and Newcastle among his possible destinations. It was reported back in April that the Magpies were in pole position to win the race to sign the 26-year-old, who has three years' left to run on his contract at the Gunners.
But, now, Celtic, who appointed Brendan Rodgers as their new boss last week, have been handed a boost. According to the Sun, Tierney is open to a shock return to Parkhead - four years since he made the move across the border to Arsenal in a record-breaking deal worth £25million.
Rodgers has been handed a huge £30m transfer kitty for his second spell in charge this summer. Even that would not be enough to afford Tierney, who is currently earning £120,000 per-week at the Gunners, with Arsenal hoping to more than recoup the money they paid for him back in 2019.
However, a season-long loan might yet be a possibility if both a substantial loan fee and significant compromise over wages can be agreed with Arsenal and Tierney. This would be a statement of intent for Rodgers if he could get the deal across the line, having worked with the player during his first stint at Celtic.
Rodgers is a huge fan of Tierney and heaped praise on him before Leicester's game against Arsenal back in November 2019. He said: "As a player, in the first week working with him, I could see after two or three days why there was a lot of clamour for him.
"From that moment he was absolutely brilliant for me. He became stronger, more powerful, very aggressive in his game. He worked hard every single day but he was also a strong boy mentally, and he had a lot of good mentors. Scott Brown was an incredible captain for me, and he (Tierney) took on that mantle to try and be like him.
"Every day in training he was very focused on becoming better, and obviously he loved Celtic as a club. He supported the club, and that gave him that extra one per cent every time he played. So as a player he was fantastic, and he captained the team for me on a few occasions as well, but also a great boy, very humble, just wanting to be the very best he can be."
