Celtic should act as Hibernian reportedly half John McGinn’s price-tag

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Hibernian player John McGinn is a target for Championship side Cardiff City but Scottish Premiership rivals Celtic cannot be ruled out just yet.

Hibernian have done well to hang on to John McGinn for as long as they have.

Clubs including Celtic have been heavily linked with the Scotland international over the last few months but McGinn remains at Easter Road, perhaps due to the £5 million price-tag manager Neil Lennon very publicaly slapped on the midfielder’s head, as reported by STV.

But with just 18 months remaining on his contract, Hibs may be getting a little wary that they are running out of time to get a decent fee for their prize asset.

And the Daily Record (live transfer blog, 7.58am) reports that the Edinburgh giants may now be forced to climb down somewhat on McGinn’s valuation with Cardiff City keen and accept offers of around half the £5 million they were initially demanding.

So if the reports are true and McGinn could be signed for as little as £2.5 million, Celtic should not need any further encouragement. Manager Brendan Rodgers is a huge fan of the 2016/17 Scottish Championship Player of the Year, after all.

After a Scottish Cup clash with rivals Hearts in February of last year, Rodgers described the Hibs talent as ‘the type of player you love as a manager’ in quotes reported by the Scottish Sun.

And the Express stated that Celtic had identified the tenacious and technical McGinn as a long-term replacement for Scott Brown at Parkhead. A £5 million fee, however, may have been a little excessive. But McGinn would look a real snip for half the price.

It remains to be seen how much Cardiff are willing to pay. Nottingham Forest should be keeping a close eye on the situation too, as the Nottingham Post stated that they are still keen despite seeing three bids snubbed in the summer.