Everton Walk Away From Deal for Leighton Baines Replacement
By Tom Power
Toffees end interest in Celtic star after deciding against £25m offer
Kieran Tierney will not be joining Everton after the Toffees walked away from a potential deal.
BBC Sport has alleged that the Blues have done a U-turn in their pursuit of the Celtic left-back after a week’s worth of speculation.
Everton were thought to have been in talks with Tierney’s camp about a possible Premier League switch.
But the Merseysiders have turned their backs on the Scotland international over his apparent valuation.
Celtic are believed to want £25m to agree to let Tierney talk to interested parties.
Everton were reportedly not prepared to pay any more than £20m for his services, and have ended their interest as a result.
The Toffees are looking for a long-term replacement to veteran full-back Leighton Baines.
Marco Silva and Marcel Brands have made a new left-back a top priority after Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce failed to find suitable back-up in the past two transfer windows.
A report on Saturday had suggested that Tierney’s representatives had agreed an £85,000-a-week deal with Everton’s hierarchy.
That salary would incrementally increase up £140,000-a-week over the course of an apparent five-year contract.
Silva and Brands, though, must feel that there is better value for money elsewhere and are no longer pursuing Tierney.
This could all be a ploy by the Blues to try and convince Celtic to sell their youth product for a cheaper fee.
It is a dangerous game to play, however, with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also reportedly interested.
At just 21-years-old, Tierney would certainly make for a decent option for now and could go on to be Everton’s new left-back for years to come.
The Douglas-born footballer already has plenty of top level experience behind him with Celtic and Scotland.
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His winner’s medal haul, too, eclipses much of Everton’s squad but it is up for debate whether he’ll actually turn up at Goodison Park next term.