Arsenal returned to the table with a second bid for the Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, having failed in their initial attempt to persuade the Ladbrokes Premiership champions to part with the 22-year-old for £15 million.

They have increased that offer but are understood to still be some way short of the £25 million valuation placed on the player by the Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell. Should Arsenal — or Everton or Napoli, who have also been monitoring Tierney’s situation — match that figure it would constitute a record sale by a Scottish club, surpassing the £19 million Celtic received from Lyons for the striker Moussa Dembélé last August.

Lawwell can point to the fact that Manchester United are about to pay £40 million (rising to £55