Celtic have been linked with John McGinn for a number of months but it appears that Hibs boss Neil Lennon will do everything to keep him at Easter Road.
After weeks of speculation, the future of Hibernian play-maker John McGinn remains uncertain. The 22-year-old was named the Scottish Championship’s Player of the Year in 2016/17 as Hibs cruised to promotion back to the top flight and, unsurprisingly, his displays have piqued plenty of interest.
The Scottish Sun claimed last month that Ipswich Town had a £1 million bid rejected by the Edinburgh club while Celtic remain interested in a player with three Scotland caps to his name already. The report adds that Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers views McGinn as the long-term successor to skipper Scott Brown.
Hibernian’s John McGinn is a man in demand
And he lauded the midfielder as the ‘type of player you love to manage’, via the Daily Record, after a Scottish Cup clash between Hibs and Edinburgh rivals Hearts last month. The report added that they valued McGinn at around £1.5 million.
However, it appears that they will need to dip their hands much deeper into their pockets if they are to lure the highly-rated technician to Parkhead.
It’s going to take a huge bid from any club to take John away from us, £4-5 million,” Hibernian manager Neil Lennon, who already lost top scorer Jason Cummings to Nottingham Forest this summer, told the Daily Record.
“He’s still got a bit to do but already he is a quality player. He’s a Scottish international.”
There is no doubt that Celtic, and Rodgers, rate McGinn very highly. However, £5million would be a huge fee for the midfielder, especially when you consider that the Scottish champions recently spent a similar figure to sign 21-year-old Olivier Ntcham from Manchester City.
Ntcham’s arrival has captured the imagination
However, McGinn would be far from guaranteed regular first-team football at Parkhead next season so perhaps Hibs’ huge asking price is a blessing in disguise.
Hibs are determined not to lose McGinn and maybe Celtic would be better served admitting defeat for now. With his contract expiring in 2019, Celtic could land him for cheaper next summer with a year of top flight experience under his belt.
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