Taylor is set to play his final game for the Hoops in the Scottish Cup Final - unless a new agreement can be reached
20:29, 22 May 2025
Greg Taylor looks set to leave Celtic in the summer
Greg Taylor looks set to leave Celtic in the summer
John Hartson reckons Greg Taylor could be "bargaining" for a better deal at Celtic as his contract ticks down.
The 27-year-old is in the final weeks of his current contract with Kieran Tierney returning to Celtic this summer from Arsenal.
The Scottish Cup final clash with Aberdeen could be his last appearance for the Hoops - despite Brendan Rodgers openly admitting he would like Taylor to remain with the Premiership champions.
With talks still ongoing, Hartson reckons that the Scotland international may have a rival bid on the table going into the final game of the season.
The Welshman told the Go Radio Football Show: "He has the opportunity to leave on a free.
"I think initially the first offer that has been made - off the back of Brendan Rodgers saying how much he would like Greg Taylor to stay - on the back of Brendan's praise, I think there has been an improved offer.
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"I think it's now up to Greg and his representatives to think of his future.
"He will never find a club with the adulation and what Celtic actually gives you - the Champions League, trophies - I don't think he will get anywhere bigger than that. But I think also there is the financial situation.
"I think he will get more money to leave on a free, in my opinion. I think Celtic feel they have done everything in their power to keep Greg Taylor. Now i's down to the boy and his representatives.
"For all we know, there is an offer on the table from another club, and he might be bargaining right now.
"We don't know - these things go on - and this offer is a million miles better than what Celtic can give him. Then, he is thinking about the football side of it."
Ahead of his return to Glasgow's east end, Tierney had an emotional end to his time in North London with the Emirates giving the defender a huge ovation with the stadium singing his name.
And while Arsenal legend Martin Keown has backed Mikel Arteta's call to allow the Scotland star to leave - he admits he wishes he could have helped Tierney more during his Premier League stint.
He told talkSPORT: “As a former player, you are a bit arms length.
“I would like to have helped more. He is somebody who I could see that worth ethic that he had. That desire in his play. I think that’s been rewarded.
Kieran Tierney after his final home game at Arsenal
Kieran Tierney after his final home game at Arsenal(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“It has been five or six seasons that he has been at the football club. It was clear that Arteta wanted to go in a different direction, and a different type of fullback to invert, and he wants to get down that line.
“In recent weeks, he has had a lot of games where he has come off the bench, and the manager could have chosen others, but he has looked to Kieran to bring on.
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"That’s testament to him really. He is the sort of person you want in the building.
“But he (Arteta) is letting him (Tierney) go. I can see sense in that. But I think he can hold his head up high.
The fans have always loved him, as they will do. It’s typical of the Arsenal fans. If you are 100 per cent. They will get right in your corner."