Cardiff City are set to rival Celtic in the race to sign Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes this summer, according to a Daily Record report.
The newspaper claimed the Championship outfit made several bids of around £1million for the 29-year-old in January, but they have now reignited their interest in the player and want to sign him in the upcoming transfer window.
It is said Warnock is “hopeful” of signing the Irish winger, although he fears the pull of Champions League football with the Hoops could be too much for him to compete with.
The report states Hayes will earn more than five times his £2,500-a-week wage if he does complete a move to Celtic or Cardiff, and Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes will “reluctantly” agree to sell him if the price meets his £1million-plus valuation.
This comes after the Daily Mail claimed the 29-year-old was a summer target for Bhoys manager Brendan Rodgers.
Hayes was in prime form for the Dons this term, providing a massive 24 assists and scoring 11 goals in 44 league and cup games.
He joined the club in the summer of 2012 from Inverness on a free, and has since gone on to make more than 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and supplying 71 assists.
The winger has also been capped by the Republic of Ireland on three occasions, and he featured for 63 minutes in their 1-0 friendly loss to Iceland in March of this year.