ARSENAL manager Unai Emery has personally intervened in the transfer negotiations with Celtic to insist that his club up their offer in order to secure the signature of Kieran Tierney.
The English Premier League outfit had a second bid for Tierney rejected on Sunday evening despite upping their initial £15m bid significantly. The offer, which was believed to eventually rise to around Celtic's valuation of £25m, was booted out by the Scottish champions as they look to secure a larger portion of the transfer fee up front.
Celtic do not want to sell one of their star men, and while Tierney is believed to be open to a move south, he won't agitate for a move south, putting Celtic in a powerful position during negotiations.
READ MORE: Alison McConnell: Arsenal target Kieran Tierney is a Celtic man whatever happens
It is believed though that Arsenal will return with a restructured offer that meets Celtic's demands in the coming days at their manager's insistence, as Emery looks to finally land one of his top summer targets.
The Spaniard's impatience at his club's transfer dealings was echoed yesterday by Arsenal supporters, with their only signing so far in this window being 18-year-old forward Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano.
Fourteen Arsenal supporters groups united to issue a statement yesterday expressing their disenchantment with the way their club is being run by American owner Stan Kroenke, saying that it feels as though he is treating their club like 'an investment vehicle'.
“Arsenal have invested money in recent years but their approach to both buying players and paying wages looks uncoordinated and appears to lack strategy,” the statement said. “There has also been a lot of turnover in the senior football personnel. A strong board would be proactively managing this."
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Meanwhile, former Celtic target Tommy Smith has completed a move to Stoke City from Huddersfield.
The right-back had been heavily linked with a move to Celtic as manager Neil Lennon continues his search for a replacement right-back for the departed Mikael Lustig, but the 27-year-old has now put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Potters.
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