Defender Kieran Tierney has been tipped to "engineer" a move to Celtic after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta attempted to cool speculation over an exit from North London.
Tierney has been told by the Premier League giants that they won’t be taking up the additional option in his contract - which means he will become a free agent at the end of the season. Record Sport understands Brendan Rodgers will push to try and seal an emotional Celtic return - which could occur as soon as January with a pre-contract agreement before a loan switch to the Scottish Premiership champions.
It follows the 27-year-old making his return to action for Arsenal on Thursday night with Gunners boss Arteta stating in his pre-match press conference that Tierney won't be playing if he feels the Scotland international is heading for the exit. Before Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace, he said: “At the moment he’s here with us.
“I wouldn’t play a player that is thinking about leaving or is not committed to us, so he’s fully committed. He’s enjoying playing after a long period again with a really tough injury, so live the moment.
“He’s a big part of the squad now. He deserves to be in the squad and played really well after such a long time, so that’s the only thing I can say.”
Scott Allan and Kieran Tierney at Celtic
Scott Allan and Kieran Tierney at Celtic (Image: SNS Group)
But former Parkhead midfielder Scott Allan reckons that his former teammate could attempt to push through a move back to Glasgow's east end. He told the [Warm Up](http://The Warm-Up YouTube channel): “Yeah, I think maybe in terms of where he’s at in his journey, he’s obviously had a lot of injuries, and he might just want that little bit of home comforts which he has with Celtic and his family back here.
“That might be the reason why he maybe engineers a move back here. I think he’s still got a lot more to give down in England and would like to see him at another Premier League club.”
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