Fulham planning Tierney swoop
Fulham are considering a £25m move for Celtic left back Kieran Tierney, according to a report in the Sun tonight.
The Premier League new boys sent their chief scout Brian Talbot to watch the Scottish international in Celtic’s 3-1 Champions’ League win over Rosenborg last week. The Whites are ready to match the Scottish champions’ valuation of one of their prize assets with a big money bid designed to try and solve their problems recruiting a left back.
Tierney has interested a host of Premier League sides this summer, with Wolves and Bournemouth believed to be keeping abreast of the 21 year-old’s situation. It was Everton who came closest to striking a deal with Celtic, but they pulled out preferring to target the Barcelona defender Lucas Digne. Fulham are keen to add a left back to their senior squad rather than force teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon to start his first Premier League season in defence and have aimed high after being knocked back in their pursuit of Southampton’s Matt Targett, who was on loan at Craven Cottage last season.
Tierney, who has already won nine senior international caps for Scotland, is widely recognised as one of the best young full-backs in Europe and hasn’t looked back since being given his senior debut by Ronnie Delia in April 2015. He has won three back-to-back Scottish titles, two successive Scottish Cups and the Scottish League Cup as well as being named the Scottish PFA’s Young Player of the Year three seasons in a row. Tierney has 133 made first-team appearances for the Scottish giants, scoring seven goals, and has another five years to run on his current Celtic Park contract.
Fulham have shown significant ambition in the transfer market since sealing their return to the top flight by winning the Championship play-off final against Aston Villa in May. The Whites have already tempted Jean-Michael Seri to join from Nice for a new club record fee, whilst also adding Maxime Le Marchand, goalkeeper Fabri and German World Cup winner Andre Schurrle ahead of the new campaign. The Londoners are also set to break in Aleksandar Mitrovic after finally agreeing a fee for the Serbian striker with Newcastle United tonight – and Tierney’s capture would rank as one of their most audacious moves yet.