Celtic have confirmed that Kieran Tierney will return to the club in July 2025.
Tierney was linked with a return to Celtic during the January transfer window. That did not materialise, but manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed last month that there was a pre-agreement in place.
In their latest interim financial report, published on Monday, Celtic confirmed that the full-back has signed a pre-contract agreement and will return in July.
“During the January 2025 transfer window, we acquired the permanent registration of Jota and the temporary registration of Jeffrey Schlupp,” the report said.
“In addition, we extended the contract of Kasper Schmeichel and entered into a pre-contract agreement that will see Kieran Tierney return to Celtic in July 2025. We disposed of the registrations of Kyogo Furuhashi, Alexander Bernabei and placed Luis Palma, Odin Holm and Stephen Welsh on Loan.”
Tierney rose through the Celtic academy and played 170 games for the club before joining Arsenal in a £25m deal back in 2017.
He has since gone on to make 129 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions, scoring five goals and adding 13 assists.
Celtic wanted Tierney in January
Sky Sports News reported Celtic were pushing to sign the Arsenal defender on loan in the January transfer window, with the view of completing the deal in the summer. However, Arsenal opted to keep Tierney at the Emirates until the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The 27-year-old defender has made five appearances for the Gunners this season but only one of these outings arrived in the starting line-up against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
The Hoops also allowed Alex Valle to cut his loan move from Barcelona short to join Serie A side Como, with Jeffrey Schlupp heading the other way from Palace to offer cover at left-back.
Brendan Rodgers confirms Celtic have agreed a pre-contract with Kieran Tierney who will return to the club from Arsenal, with talks ongoing over a deal this month, while Alex Valle’s loan from Barcelona is to end
Speaking while the window remained open, Rodgers said: “Ideally it would [happen in January] but, at this moment, he’s still an Arsenal player.
“I think everyone is agreed that it will definitely take place in the summer. If we can do it beforehand, then great.
“I don’t know. I think that, like I said, we’d prepared that for the summer. And I don’t want to speak too much on it, with the greatest respect, because he’s not a Celtic player here now with us.
“But, if we were able to do it, of course we would like to do that. But that’s out of our control at this moment in time.”
Celtic’s transfer business in full
In
Jota – Rennes, £8m
Jeffrey Schlupp – Crystal Palace, loan
Kieran Tierney – Arsenal, pre-contract agreement
Jeffrey Schlupp on his deadline day loan move to Celtic from Crystal Palace and his hopes for the season ahead
Out
Stephen Welsh – KV Mechelen, loan
Odin Holm – LAFC, loan
Alexandro Bernabei – Internacional, £5m
Kyogo Furuhashi – Rennes, £10m
Alex Valle – Barcelona, recalled from loan
