Inter Milan are interested in signing Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney in the closing stages of the January transfer window.
Tierney has struggled to get regular game time with the Gunners this season following the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer. The Scotland international has started just four Premier League matches all campaign due to increased competition for places and injuries.
The 25-year-old has become a fan-favourite since his £25million move from Celtic in August 2019. Tierney is under contract with Arsenal until June 2026, having signed a long-term contract extension in the summer of 2021 – but reports in Italy suggest he could be on the move before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Inter are hoping to convince Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to trade Old Trafford for the San Siro. And the Italian giants could use the same approach to target Tierney – another out-of-favour defender, according to Tuttomercato.
They are not the only Italian side who have noticed Tierney’s situation; Juventus are also keeping an eye on the defender. It seems very unlikely that Arsenal would sanction such a move with no time left to find a replacement.
The Gunners had been pursuing full-back Ivan Fresneda, but the youngster has now reassured Real Valladolid fans he is going nowhere this month. “No, I’m not leaving, calm down," he said, as reported by Metro.
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Tierney has been stuck on the bench behind Zinchenko in the Premier League recently and has been limited to cup appearances. He has not completed 90 minutes in seven matches since scoring in a 1-0 win over Zurich in the Europa League on November 3.
Speaking after that man-of-the-match performance, he explained his mentality. “I want to play every single chance I can get,” he told BT Sport.
“But I’m going to keep working hard. The manager knows I’ll give 100 per cent every single day, whether I’m starting or not – I’ll support the team from the bench. If I need to come on, or if I start, I’ll give everything.”
Tierney may not be playing as much as he’d like, but he is enjoying working with Arteta nonetheless, with the Gunners five points top of the Premier League after 19 games.
“The directors knew what the manager was doing and what his message to us was every day in training,” Tierney told The Scottish Sun recently. “They would also have known how much we believed in it.
“The gaffer deserves an awful lot of credit for what he’s transformed us into. But we’re only 18 games in. The manager is obsessed with football and being a manager and getting his message across to the players, though. I think you need that.
“He is full-on from the minute you get into the training ground to the minute you leave. And if you’ve got a manager like that, you’ve got every chance.”
