- The defender has made just four appearances this season due to injury problems
- He is close to signing a pre-contract ahead of leaving Arsenal in the summer
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Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is reportedly close to an emotional return to Celtic.
The Scot joined the Gunners in 2019 from Celtic after coming through the ranks at his boyhood club.
The left-back settled into the Emirates nicely, making 27 Premier League appearances in the 2020-21 season, 22 in the 2021-22 campaign and 27 the following year.
But he was sent on loan to Real Sociedad last season as Mikel Arteta looked to take his side to the next level, favouring the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior instead.
This season he has been plagued by a hamstring injury picked up in the opening match of Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign – but returned to fitness last month.
The 27-year-old started in Arsenal’s EFL Cup win over Crystal Palace before cameos against Manchester United, Tottenham and Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
Tierney has less than six months remaining on his Arsenal contract and the date for the Gunners to add an extra 12 months to his stint has passed.
As reported by the Telegraph, the defender is on the verge of agreeing a pre-contract with Celtic.
Bayer Leverkusen, Sevilla and Juventus were interested in signing Tierney on a free transfer, alongside Everton.
However, Tierney turned them all down in favour of a return to Celtic Park from next season.
He came through the Celtic academy and helped guide the side to four Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and one League cup.
Tierney made 170 appearances for Celtic before departing for the Emirates six years ago in a £25million move.
Since his return from injury, Mikel Arteta has used Tierney in a more attacking role than usual.
The Arsenal boss recently said: ‘He’s playing to his strengths. That’s something that we have to continue to learn, because they give you a lot of information.
‘They tell you, not sometimes with their words, but with a lot of information, where they feel more comfortable and certainly there is a much better fit for him.’
