Cardiff City appear to have pulled out of the race to sign Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes, leaving Celtic in the clear.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock
Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock has told BBC Sport that he has given up his pursuit of Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes, potentially leaving Celtic clear to sign him.
Hayes, 29, enjoyed a fine season with Aberdeen, hitting nine goals and 12 assists for Derek McInnes’ side as they again finished second behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.
Aberdeen’s Jonathan Hayes looks dejected
The Republic of Ireland international has impressed at Pittodrie since joining from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2012, prompting interest in his signature.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers worked with Hayes in the youth setup at Reading, and has been pushing to reunite with the winger, with The Express claiming that a deal could be close to completion this week.
The Bhoys have allegedly offered £1.3million plus the season-long loan capture of Ryan Christie in a bid to sign Hayes, and fend off lingering competition for his signature.
Aberdeen’s Jonathan Hayes in action with Celtic’s Patrick Roberts
Last week, Cardiff City made a £1.2million bid to sign Hayes according to Sky Sports, but their hopes of signing him appear to be over – at least, that’s what Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock thinks.
Warnock has told BBC Sport that he can’t wait around any longer for Aberdeen to make a decision on Hayes’ future, and he has moved on to other targets – seemingly leaving Celtic in the clear.
Aberdeen’s Jonny Hayes scores against Celtic
However, Warnock did note that Aberdeen actually want two players from Celtic in their negotiations, even suggesting that manager Derek McInnes’ expected move from Aberdeen to Sunderland has also help up the deal.
“You can only wait for so long and you’ve got to move on,” said Warnock. “Aberdeen want two players from Celtic and they’ve been messing us around for quite a few weeks now. And it wouldn’t surprise me if their manager Derek McInnes goes to Sunderland either – there might be other motives behind everything stalling.”
“We’ve moved on and gone on to another one or two targets that haven’t been mentioned yet,” he added.
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