Forgotten Arsenal star Kieran Tierney wants to leave the club in the January transfer window and has made a return to Celtic a priority, according to TBR Football.

The Scotland international spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad in Spain and was set to exit the Emirates during the most recent summer transfer window before suffering a serious hamstring injury, which has seen him fail to make a matchday squad in any competition up to this point for the Gunners this season.

But as Tierney closes in on a return to fitness, he has set his sights on playing regular football in the new year after falling way down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta in recent times.

Tierney Wants Celtic Return

Now 27, Tierney came through at Celtic Park as a youngster and immediately established himself as the starting left-back in the squad. Across four full seasons with the club he managed 170 appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys, scoring eight goals and winning an incredible eight trophies including four league titles.

Those performances earned him a £25million move to the Emirates with Arsenal and he enjoyed a great spell, but injuries became a major issue for him and he was replaced ultimately by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Since then Arteta has also added Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori who can all play at left-back and Tierney is now firmly out of the plans of the first-team.

According to the report, the north London outfit are open to allowing Tierney to leave at the earliest opportunity and a move to Celtic is something that was discussed during the summer before his injury.

Tierney would prioritise a move to Parkhead over any other, and both parties could look at a loan deal. Arsenal would be open to a loan, and would also be open to including a buy-clause in the deal to see him move permanently in the summer.

Tierney, who Arteta has previously described as “special”, has previously worked under Brendan Rodgers during their previous spells with Celtic and that relationship could be key in getting a deal over the line