Serie A giants plot surprise swoop to sign £25m Arsenal star as future placed in doubt

Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan are preparing transfer bids to sign Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, according to reports.

Tierney has competed with new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back this season, and was recalled to the Gunners side by Mikel Arteta for Friday's 1-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat to Manchester City.

The Scotland international has had his injury issues during his time at the Emirates Stadium, but has been ever-present in the Arsenal squad this season. He has made 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring one Europa League goal.

But a number of those appearances have been from the bench, and he has fallen behind Zinchenko in the Premier League pecking order in recent weeks.

A move in January would come as a surprise, given that Arteta has trusted the former Celtic star to play in an unfamiliar inverted full-back role this season.

However, a new report claims that the Gunners could look to sell him if they bring in another player.

Arsenal's Tierney linked with Serie A move

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Juventus and Inter Milan want to sign Tierney in January.

In Juve's case, they want competition and a potential long-term successor for Brazil left-back Alex Sandro, who turned 32 earlier this week.

It is claimed that any move is dependent on what happens in the courts, after Juventus appealed a 15-point Serie A deduction handed down by the Italian FIGC last week.

Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi's Inter regularly fields a five-player defence, meaning Tierney could be utilised as more of an attacking outlet if he was to move to San Siro.

The Scot signed for Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 for £25 million, and it is unclear whether the Gunners want to recoup all of that fee, or more, in any deal.

CBS Sports' James Benge has claimed there is a 'growing expectation' that Tierney could leave Arsenal this summer, and could be involved in a 'domino effect' if the Gunners complete a move for full-back Ivan Fresneda.

The 20-year-old Spanish youth international has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, with Fabrizio Romano claiming to GiveMeSport that is the Valladolid defender's decision as to whether he joins Arsenal or Borussia Dortmund.

Benge explained (quotes via talkSPORT): "I don't think Arsenal would push [Tierney] out the exit door but now he's not a guaranteed starter. I think if the right offer came in, all parties are kind of thinking this is something that might happen, not guaranteed.

"In any case, what you could see is Fresneda coming to play alongside Ben White as the two right-backs and then Takehiro Tomiyasu actually basically becomes the back-up left-back. It's a role he's played quite a bit for Arteta.

"It wouldn't shock me if Arsenal were willing to do the same thing as Dortmund and loan Fresneda back. Tierney wins his Premier League medal maybe and moves on."