Arsenal could demand fee ‘in excess of £30m’ for Newcastle United transfer target as loan decision looms

Newcastle United have reportedly been told what they must do if they want to complete a summer move for Arsenal and Scotland defender Kieran Tierney.

The former Celtic star has struggled to earn regular game-time this season with summer addition Oleksandr Zinchenko now firmly established in the Gunners side. Tierney has still made 26 appearances in all competitions but just seven of those have come in the starting lineup and his last Premier League start came in a 3-1 home win against West Ham United on Boxing Day.

That led to mounting speculation the 25-year-old defender could be allowed to depart the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season - and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta stopped short of commenting on any deal during his preparations for his side’s dramatic 3-2 win against Bournemouth at the weekend.

He said: “I don’t know, I’m not thinking about it. I’m thinking about what’s best for the team, obviously, and the players with the right to play minutes which they all deserve and we’re going to try to do that in the next couple of games.”

The Telegraph have reported Newcastle have placed a left-back on their list of priorities for the summer transfer window after spending the majority of the season with centre-back Dan Burn filling in on the left-hand side of Eddie Howe’s back four.

Matt Targett is available once again and the former Aston Villa defender made his first appearance since December when he replaced Burn in the closing-stages of United’s 2-0 defeat against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

However, the duo could face further competition if the Magpies opt to firm up their interest in Tierney at the end of the season. The report has stated Arsenal will demand a fee of over £30m for the 25-year-old and Newcastle’s chances of landing the left-back could receive if further boost if the Gunners opt to retain the services of Nuno Tavares when the Portugal Under-21 international returns from a loan spell at Ligue 1 club Marseille.