Celtic are reportedly bidding for Hibernian midfielder John McGinn.
Pundit Davie Provan has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks Hibernian must accept Celtic’s bid for John McGinn or risk losing him for nothing.
The Bhoys have tied up permanent deals for loan duo Scott Bain and Odsonne Edouard, but their main pursuit has been for Hibernian star McGinn as Brendan Rodgers chases another midfielder.
Stuart Armstrong was sold to Southampton earlier this summer, and Rodgers has seemingly identified McGinn as the ideal replacement this summer.
McGinn, 23, has starred for Hibernian since making a 2015 move from St Mirren, bagging 17 goals in 133 displays for the club whilst becoming a regular for the Scotland national team.
So far, Celtic have failed with bids of £1.5million and £2million according to the Daily Record, with Hibernian holding out for more money despite McGinn having just a year left on his contract.
That exact situation means that Celtic could sign McGinn for free in 2019, though Hibs may well receive more bids from the Bhoys before the transfer window slams shut next month.
Now, pundit and former Celtic winger Davie Provan has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks Celtic have the strong hand over Hibs thanks to McGinn’s contract situation.
Provan feels Hibs will have to accept a Celtic bid sooner rather than later as they will ultimately end up penniless otherwise, suggesting that Hibs should be paying him like they value him.
“Scott Brown was disrespectful speculating on how Brendan Rodgers would improve John McGinn while the midfielder is still at Hibs,” said Provan. “But Easter Road chief Leeann Dempster is playing a weak hand in this transfer saga. The player will only move to Celtic, who could sign him on a January pre-contract if he sits tight.”
“Dempster will have to accept Peter Lawwell’s valuation of the player or miss out on a fee altogether. Hibs believe McGinn is a £3m player, which begs an obvious question: Why don’t they pay him like one?” he added.
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