Kieran Tierney will leave Arsenal next summer at the latest after the club decided against activating an option to extend his contract.
While Tierney’s deal expires in June, Arsenal retained the ability to prolong it by 12 months.
That would have enabled them to utilise the left-back, 27, for longer or secure a fee if they elected to sell him at the end of this season.
But Arsenal needed to take up the opportunity by a set date, which has now passed, and Tierney has been made aware of the situation.
It means his career in north London is drawing to a close and the Scotland international can sign a pre-contract agreement with non-English sides from January 1. It is also possible a permanent transfer happens next month.
There is interest from England, an emotional attachment to former team Celtic, and he already has experience of playing abroad following a loan spell at Real Sociedad during the 2023-24 campaign.
Tierney joined Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 and made his 125th appearance of an injury-hit spell at the Emirates Stadium in Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace. He was substituted on 69 minutes of a 3-2 victory.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
