Aston Villa have made an enquiry over a possible summer move for Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, according to Ben Jacobs.
The Lowdown: Villa rumours
Villa were first linked with a move for Tierney earlier this month by Football Insider. They said that Arsenal could green-light a summer sale and value the player at £30m, with the report adding that Villa could be willing to sell Lucas Digne to make room for the Scot.
The 25-year-old appears to have dropped down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta this season following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival in the summer, starting more games in the Europa League than the Premier League.
Tierney also shares the same agent as Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa, and it looks as if Villa have made their first move ahead of a possible transfer.
The Latest: Jacobs’ comments
Jacobs was talking to TEAMtalk regarding Tierney and Villa. He said that those at Villa Park (by extension both NSWE and sporting director Johan Lange) have made an approach for Tierney.
However, the reporter said he would be ‘surprised’ if the left-back decided to move to the Midlands due to no European football being offered.
“Aston Villa have been a club that have also inquired but I think that Tierney will still want European football. So personally – and it is only my view – I’d be surprised if Tierney drops down to a club in his mid-20s after impressing for Arsenal – let’s not forget last season – that doesn’t offer European football.”
The Verdict: You never know…
Christian Purslow is expecting an ‘extremely busy summer’ ahead of Unai Emery’s first full season in charge, so it wouldn’t come as a shock if Villa followed up their approach by making an offer for Tierney in the summer.
He has been dubbed as an ‘absolute baller’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, so could prove to be a shrewd signing, even though Emery recently brought in left-back Alex Moreno from Real Betis in the winter window.
The Arsenal man would bring a winning mentality to the Midlands after lifting a number of trophies with boyhood club Celtic and the FA Cup and Community Shield with the Gunners, potentially adding a Premier League winners medal to his collection over the coming months.
Villa have shown recently that they can attract players who are used to European football by signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, so we won’t rule out a move for Tierney just yet, although Villa may have to rival Newcastle United for his signature.