Manchester City informed Arsenal of Pep Guardiola’s interest in signing Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney after the two clubs finalised Oleksandr Zinchenko’s switch to north London.
Man City told Arsenal of Kieran Tierney interest after Oleksandr Zinchenko deal
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester City registered their interest in Kieran Tierney on the back of selling Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal. The Ukraine international called a halt to his Etihad Stadium career in July with a four-year contract, as part of his £32m transfer.
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Mikel Arteta moved to sign Zinchenko to strengthen his options at left-back, while adding an extra body in midfield. Nuno Tavares served as Tierney’s understudy after he moved to north London from Benfica for £7m last July, but could not always impress in his chances.
Tavares enjoyed a host of Premier League games he may not have anticipated at the time of his arrival. Arteta once again regularly found himself without Tierney, with the Gunners’ £25m capture from Celtic back in 2019 missing 12 fixtures through ankle and knee injuries.
The 25-year-old’s knee issue ensured his 2021/22 campaign also ended in March. He also could only start on the bench as Arsenal began the new season at Crystal Palace, with the starting left-back role going to Zinchenko – who produced a strong showing on his debut.
Pep Guardiola yet to submit formal offer after registering interest
Several clubs are now monitoring Tierney’s situation at Arsenal, as he faces a heightened challenge to start against Zinchenko. Manchester City are also one outfit to register their interest, but Pep Guardiola’s team are yet to make Arsenal a formal offer to sign Tierney.
Reports by The Telegraph claim any pursuit from the Citizens is unlikely to occur until the end of the window. Tierney has also recovered from his most recent injury, and will hope to keep Zinchenko out of the side with performances like as a substitute at Crystal Palace.
“Kieran, when he came on, he was fantastic,” Arteta told BBC Sport. “He hasn’t played for four months, [but] he came in and really helped the team get close [to securing the win].”
Both Tierney and Zinchenko are under contract with Arsenal to 2026 following the latter’s transfer from Manchester City this summer. Arteta awarded Tierney an extended deal last year, which took his wage up to £110k-a-week having been on £81k-a-week since joining.
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