Cardiff City are out of the running to sign Aberdeen ace Jonny Hayes, potentially leaving the way clear for Celtic to secure his services.
The BBC claims Cardiff pulled out of the race on Tuesday night, after manager Neil Warnock accused Aberdeen of “messing him about” after a £1.2million bid was turned down.
It is said Warnock had been desperate to sign Hayes, but he has now conceded defeat and expects the player to join Celtic.
He told the BBC: “You can only wait for so long and you’ve got to move on.
“Aberdeen want two players from Celtic and they’ve been messing us around for quite a few weeks now.”
The report states Birmingham City remain interested in the 29-year-old right-sided midfielder, but the Hoops are the front-runners.
This comes after the Daily Express reported on Tuesday that the Glasgow giants had tabled an improved bid of £1.3million for Hayes and were looking to seal the deal within 48 hours.
It was said the transfer would also see Ryan Christie sent out on loan to the Dons for the 2017-18 campaign, and that Hayes was ready to complete the deal as soon as he returns from international duty.
The 29-year-old was one of Aberdeen’s top performers last term, supplying an incredible 24 assists in 44 league and cup games, as well as bagging 11 goals.
The right-sided midfielder arrived at Pittodrie in July 2012 from Inverness and he has since made 207 appearances in all competitions, which have yielded 30 goals and 71 assists.