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Arsenal must break Celtic transfer record to land Kieran Tierney

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Celtic determined to hang onto their prized asset

One possible transfer that has developed over the last few days is the potential move of Kieran Tierney from Celtic to Arsenal.

The 22 year-old has long been linked with a move away from Glasgow after impressing at Celtic over the last four years since breaking into the first team under then boss Ronny Deila.

After making his debut at 18 he's gone from strength-to-strength, which is shown by him making a staggering 170 club appearances already. He's now one of the Bhoys most important players and if it wasn't for the superb Andy Robertson, it would be the case at national level too.

He's had a long list of admirers for some time now and it appears that Arsenal are the club willing to gamble on him and see how he fares in the Premier League.

In the SPL he's displayed all the attributes of a top full-back but the demands of the English top flight are very different. However, Unai Emery evidently believes he has what it takes to be a success at the Emirates Stadium.

Unai Emery Arsenal
Unai Emery is believed to be a big admirer of Tierney and sees him as both a full-back and a potential centre-half. This tactical versatility could make him indispensable and a potential long-term replacement for Nacho Monreal

It was reported last week that the Spaniard launched a £15m bid for the Scotland international which was immediately knocked back by Celtic. The Gunners responded with an improved £18m offer which again was refused by the SPL champions, so it could take big money to prize him away.

Celtic's sale of Moussa Dembele to Lyon for £18m last year remains their most expensive departure and Arsenal will have to surpass that figure if they're to get their man.

But Neil Lennon's men don't need to sell and with the 22 year-old still having four years left to run on his existing contract, they have all the power at the moment. However, the Gunners are confident that the full-back is keen on a move to North London and if it's to go over the line, they may need him to force it slightly.

Celtic
Kieran Tierney has emerged as a key player for Celtic over the last four years

But money is believed to be tight at Arsenal at the moment, despite them being one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. The London Evening Standard report that Emery has been given a budget of around £40m to strengthen his squad this summer, a figure that will be miles away from that of his top six rivals.

He's going to need to wheel and deal if he's to land his major transfer targets and the lack of money is believed to stalled his move for Belgium international Yannick Carrasco, who was 1/10 to sign for the Gunners just over a week ago.

The Dalian Yifang forward would command astronomical wages in comparison to Tierney so whilst that deal looks unlikely for the time being, the Celtic mans proposed move is certainly one that has the potential to get over the line.

Neil Lennon will be desperate to retain his man but every player has their price as Celtic have found out in recent seasons through the likes of Dembele, Victory Wanyama and of course, Vigril van Dijk.