Newcastle United are back on the trail of Kieran Tierney, and have a plan to sign the Arsenal defender.
Tierney was heavily linked with the Magpies heading into the summer transfer window. In truth, he and James Maddison looked like the two most likely players to join Eddie Howe’s side.
Now the new season has started, and Maddison is at Tottenham and Tierney can’t even get on the Arsenal bench. The Scot did not feature at all during the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
He is expected to leave the Emirates, with Real Sociedad looking to complete a deal for the 26-year-old defender. However, now it looks like Newcastle are back in the mix.
Newcastle hatch plan to sign Kieran Tierney
According to the Telegraph, Newcastle are looking to sign Tierney on loan from Arsenal. The report states that the deal would include either an option or obligation to buy next summer.
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The Telegraph add that Newcastle believe Tierney is keen on the move, as he goes in search of regular first-team football.
Another option for the Magpies is Marc Cucurella, who was on the bench for Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. The club could make a similar move for the Spaniard.
However, it feels like a deal for Tierney would be more favourable for supporters. But if that is the case, it could be a couple of weeks before he arrives on Tyneside.
Deal with Arsenal might have to wait
That is because the Telegraph add that the type of deal Newcastle want for Tierney, who cost £25million in 2019, might lead to it being put on hold until the end of the transfer window.
They state that it might have to wait until closer to deadline day, as Arsenal would rather sell him right now as it would mean they immediately get the cash.
That is an understandable stance from Mikel Arteta’s side, so Newcastle might simply have to wait. But can Howe afford to do that? It is clear that he wants one more player, and it might be a risk to put all his eggs in one basket and wait for a deal that might not actually happen.
But Tierney is a ‘brilliant‘ player, and someone who Howe has admired for a long time. He was Newcastle’s top left-back target at the start of the summer, and now a potential deal could go right to the wire.