Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Real Madrid ahead of the summer transfer window.
Les Merengues are in the hunt for defensive reinforcements and have made the signing of a left-back a priority in the off season, with Marcelo set to leave the club at the end of the campaign on a free transfer. This would potentially leave the Spanish giants with only Ferland Mendy at left-back after Marcelo’s exit.
According to 90min, Real Madrid have accelerated their interest in Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney after scouting him extensively during January and February. The club’s chief scout Juni Calafat has been impressed by the Scottish international’s displays and has recommended Los Blancos to make a summer move, the report adds.
Tierney, 24, has been a regular for Arsenal this campaign, contributing one goal and three assists in 22 appearances across all competitions. The full-back had briefly lost his place in Mikel Arteta’s side to Nuno Tavares earlier this season, but he has since reclaimed his spot and helped the Gunners to fourth spot on the table in the process.
However, as the Scottish international is contracted to the Emirates Stadium until 2026, having signed an extension with the club last year, Real Madrid would need to spend big to lure him away to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.
Kieran Tierney to Real Madrid—Should Los Blancos make a move?
Real Madrid are bracing for a shake-up in the left-back position in the summer. Club legend Marcelo is coming to the end of his contract and looks set to leave with no renewal terms in sight.
At the same time, the Spanish league leaders are also contemplating the prospect of selling Ferland Mendy after expressing their unhappiness with the French international’s exorbitant wage demands. Real are prepared to cash in on Mendy in the summer transfer window amid interest from Juventus and PSG.
Should Les Merengues sanction the sale of Mendy on top of Marcelo’s exit, signing a top-class left-back will become imperative for Carlo Ancelotti’s side heading into the next season, thus, making Kieran Tierney a viable target.
Tierney has decent experience in the Premier League as well as in Europe. The main thing that will help Real Madrid if they sign Tierney is his versatility. A left-back by trade, he can play as a left-sided centre-back in a three-man defence and as a left wing-back, as he did many times with his boyhood club Celtic.
Positionally, the Scotsman is also adaptable, and being an attack-minded full-back would benefit Real Madrid hugely from building their play from wide areas. Such qualities, coupled with his flexibility and age, only make Tierney an attractive prospect for Los Blancos.
All in all, Tierney presents himself as a possible solution to Real’s left-back woes, and the La Liga giants must go all out for the left-back’s signature when the transfer window reopens in summer.
