Celtic have seen a third bid for Hibernian midfielder John McGinn rejected, according to the Scottish Sun.
Having already submitted offers of £1.5million and £1.75million, the newspaper states that the Bhoys proposed a £2million deal for the 23-year-old, but were quickly rebuffed.
Neil Lennon’s side are said to value McGinn at £4million, and it remains to be seen if Celtic are willing to pay that much.
The report suggests that Celtic’s efforts have been limited to cash only deals thus far, but that if Brendan Rodgers were to include fringe players Scott Allan or Ryan Christie in the deal then Hibs’ stance could soften.
Good move for Celtic?
McGinn will undoubtedly strengthen the Celtic first-team and Rodgers appears to have made McGinn his number one target in the remiander of this summer window – the Parkhead club’s persistence here is testament to that. It’s a potential transfer that’s been dragging on for a long time now though and it needs to be sorted soon, with Celtic’s season already underway.
Likely to happen?
Hibs are proving tough negotiators. Clearly the two sides’ valuation of the player is still a stumbling block, with Lennon understandably holding out for as much cash as he can get. Typically, when Celtic set their sights on someone playing in Scotland they get their man, so it’s hard to believe McGinn won’t be wearing Hoops next season. The admission that Hibs could be interested in a cash + player deal is something for Rodgers to think about. Both Allan and Christie have spent time away on loan during their Parkhead tenure, with the former spending the second half of last season at Easter Road. If Celtic are unwilling to meet Hibs’ £4million valuation of the player, throwing in Allan could be the key to getting this deal done in a way that suits all parties.