Arsenal star offered shock La Liga exit opportunity, with preliminary talks underway

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney could surprisingly swap North London for Spain this summer, with one of La Liga’s best teams reportedly in preliminary talks over a loan move.

Tierney has made 124 appearances for Arsenal since joining the Gunners in a £25million deal from Celtic in August 2019. However, he is no longer a guaranteed starter in defence under Mikel Arteta.

Last summer, Arteta signed Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. And the Ukrainian went on to take Tierney’s left-back spot, with Arteta liking Zinchenko for his ability to step into midfield too.

Tierney did go on to play 36 times last season, but he grew more frustrated as the campaign went on as he did not start in the biggest games.

And the Scotland international only managed 14 minutes in Arsenal’s recent Community Shield win over City, with Arteta preferring to go with new signing Jurrien Timber on the left side of defence.

Arteta recently convinced Tierney to reject a potential move to Newcastle United, in order to stay and fight for his place at the Emirates. But Arteta is now facing a new transfer threat in the form of Real Sociedad.

READ MORE: Arteta told new Arsenal signing is huge waste of money, with deal for top Liverpool target far more effective

According to Football Scotland, who cite reports coming from Spain, Real Sociedad have entered into initial discussions with Arsenal to try and hand Tierney an escape route.

They have proposed a potential loan for the 2023-24 season. It is unclear whether a buy option would be included in the deal for summer 2024.

Kieran Tierney receives offer to join Champions League club

Real Sociedad believe Tierney would be a great addition to their squad. Indeed, he would likely become their new first-choice left-back ahead of current options Aihen Munoz and Diego Rico.

And La Real think their offer will be tempting for Tierney, too. This is because they finished fourth in the Spanish top flight last term and will therefore compete in this season’s Champions League.

Due to this, the move would give Tierney the chance to continue operating at the highest level and come up against some top wingers.

Presumably, Arteta will tell Arsenal sporting director Edu he does not want the 26-year-old leaving for Spain, just like he did when Newcastle came calling.

But if Tierney expresses his desire to make the move then Arsenal may be forced into negotiations with Real Sociedad. They will not want an unhappy player spoiling the mood in the dressing room amid their push for the Premier League title.

Tierney is not the only player who might leave Arsenal in the coming weeks. Striker Folarin Balogun also wants out.

Lens recently joined Inter in the hunt for the USA hitman. But according to The Athletic, it is Lens’ Ligue 1 rivals Monaco who have opened the bidding for Balogun.

However, they will need to improve on this offer if they are to sign Balogun as their first proposal fell short of Arsenal’s £50m valuation.

Meanwhile, City are preparing to gazump Arsenal and Chelsea by moving for a deadly attacker, according to a report.