Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal transfer decision ‘leads to Man City talks’

Arsenal have reportedly agreed for on-loan defender Kieran Tierney to return to the Emirates Stadium and not move to Real Sociedad permanently.

The Scottish left-back moved on loan to the La Liga club last summer for the season and would make 27 appearances in Spain. Unfortunately for Tierney, his momentum at Real was hampered by three substantial injury blows.

The 27-year-old suffered two separate hamstring injuries and an abductor problem which meant he missed 11 La Liga matches in total. Following the end of his loan spell, Arsenal needed to make a decision on whether to allow Tierney to potentially join Sociedad permanently in the summer or keep him with a view to perhaps another loan spell elsewhere or selling him to another club.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners have taken the latter course of action and Tierney will be returning to the club this summer. This decision has a knock-on effect for Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Manchester City.

It is understood that because a move for Tierney is off the table, the Spanish club are now contemplating a move for City’s Sergio Gomez. Since his 2022 switch from Anderlecht, the Spaniard has failed to make much of an impact in Manchester and only featured 38 times.

The expectation now is that Gomez will leave on a permanent deal this summer and this has caught the attention of Sociedad. They see the full-back as a valid alternative to Tierney and negotiations have begun between City and the Gunners.