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La Liga side Real Sociedad are reportedly in the fray to sign Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney on loan.
Tierney, 26, arrived from Celtic in the summer of 2019 but has since struggled to nail down a consistent starting berth in Mikel Arteta's 11. In 124 games across competitions, he has bagged five goals and 14 assists.
Last season, he featured 36 times across competitions - starting only 15 times - contributing a goal and two assists as the Gunners finished second in the Premier League.
Things hardly improved this season, with the left-back making his lone appearance in the FA Community Shield off the bench. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now reported that Sociedad have had a verbal agreement with Tierney to take him on loan, with no option to buy, for the season.
The La Liga club will pay his wages till June. Tierney has accepted the terms, and a medical is expected to be scheduled soon. Romano tweeted:
"Kieran Tierney to Real Sociedad, here we go! Verbal agreement in place with Arsenal on loan deal — no buy option clause. Tierney has accepted, medical being scheduled after clubs exchange all documents. Salary will be covered until June."
The Scot was not even in the Gunners' squad for their opening two Premier League games of the season. So, it could be a good opportunity for the full-back to garner some much-needed first-team minutes at Sociedad before returning to the Emirates next summer.
Arsenal preparing mass exodus before transfer window closes
Arsenal have splurged in the transfer market this summer, bringing in Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a combined €235 million.
To balance their books, the Gunners are now reportedly planning to jettison as many as nine players. As per The Metro, they are planning to offload the likes of left-back Kieran Tierney and striker Folarin Balogun.
Apart from the duo, defender Gabriel Magalhaes, full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu and midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga could also depart. Joining them in the exit door could be attacker Nicolas Pepe and the defensive trio of Rob Holding, Cedric Soares and Nuno Tavares.
The Gunners plan to raise around £100 million from the sale of some of these players, while the others could depart on loan.
