Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney will return to Celtic this summer.
Tierney, who joined the Gunners from Celtic in 2019, will be out of contract in the summer and is clear to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club.
Celtic have been linked with a move for their academy graduate in recent weeks and manager Rodgers says an agreement is in place for him to make his return to Parkhead.
Speaking ahead of their Champions League game against Aston Villa, the Hoops boss said: “Ideally it would [happen in January] but he’s still, at this moment, an Arsenal player.
“I think everyone is agreed that will definitely take place in the summer. If we can do it beforehand, then great.”
Tierney has made 129 appearances for Arsenal, establishing himself as a key player in his first few seasons at the Emirates.
But he slowly lost his place under Mikel Arteta and spent last season on loan with Real Sociedad.
Rodgers has also confirmed that left-back Alex Valle’s loan from Barcelona has been cut short.
On Valle, Rodgers added: “Alex won’t play again, sadly. He’s in Barcelona at the moment and he will probably then move on to another team.
“He’s another young player that’s contributed really well for us, played nearly 20 appearances, played in some very important games, made his Champions League debut and, especially at Atalanta, he was fantastic.
“We’re disappointed he’s left, but we have to move on.”
