Celtic attacker James Forrest has said that Kieran Tierney can be regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world despite plying his trade in a lower league. The Scotland international has racked 170 appearances for the Hoops since graduating through the youth ranks and his progress has caught the eye of several elite clubs including Arsenal, who have made an approach to recruit him this summer.

Speaking to reporters, Forrest was full of praise for his teammate and stated that Tierney is up there with some of the best full-backs in the world. He added that there is nothing similar between Tierney and Liverpool’s AndrewRobertson, and Scotland are blessed to have both players in their squad, he said:

“Kieran’s right up there. You can see the way he bombs up and down how fit he is and he’s good defensively as well. He’s a great athlete. There’s nothing between him and Andy Robertson. They are two great players for Scotland. Even though they play in the same position, they are slightly different with the way they play. It’s a bonus for Scotland that we have two players like that in the squad,” he said.

Arsenal are deemed to have failed with an opening bid worth £15m for Tierney this summer and they are now expected to make a renewed move of around £20m. Still, the offer is expected to be short of the Hoops’ £25m price tag and reports suggest that the north London club may have to come up with another improved package.

Unai Emery’s team are working on a restricted £45m budget for the summer and the arrival of Tierney could cover up more than half of the kitty. As such, the manager is likely to consider the potential sale of some unwanted players within the first-team squad to garner additional funds to spend on new recruits.