Celtic are reportedly hoping to be able to announce the re-signing of Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney next week - five-and-a-half years after he left the club.

Scotland international Tierney joined the Gunners in a £25m deal from the Scottish Premiership outfit in 2019.

But his time in North London has been blighted by injuries, which have resulted in him falling down the pecking order under manager Mikel Arteta.

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As a result, Tierney is expected to seal a return to Celtic this month, with Fabrizio Romano reporting on Friday that negotiations between both clubs are currently ongoing.

However, football.london's sister paper, the Daily Record, claims that Celtic are hopeful of striking a pre-contract agreement with Tierney ahead of the expiry of his Arsenal contract at the end of the season, which would strengthen their hand in negotiations this month.

If a deal was agreed next week, Tierney, who spent last season on loan at La Liga side Real Sociedad, could make his Celtic return when Brendan Rodgers' side host Dundee United on January 8.

Since moving to North London, Tierney has suffered 11 separate injuries, the latest a hamstring issue that kept him sidelined for nearly 160 days between June and November.

Speaking to the Currie Club podcast in 2022, Tierney made no secret of his affection for his boyhood club: "I think when a player who loves the club leaves, there's always that, 'what if he comes back', and you can't rule anything out," he said.

"I'm always going to love Celtic, I'm always going to support Celtic, so you never know in football."