Hibernian boss Neil Lennon has urged Celtic to meet their valuation of John McGinn if they truly want him this summer, stating his belief that the Hoops are aware of what the Leith side want for the midfielder.
Confirming that Hibs have rejected two bids for McGinn already this summer, Lennon admitted that all the speculation over the last couple of weeks has unsettled the Scotland international.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, Lennon said:
Yes, there has been a second bid. But the club have rejected it.
In terms of whether it’s inevitable that John will go or not, there’s no way I can answer that. That is something you would need to ask Celtic.
We’ve had two bids which have not been accepted by the club. There’s been communication and I think Celtic are aware of what we value John at.
I don’t actually know exactly what that figure is. All I know is that Celtic haven’t met it so far.
It is unsettling for the player – of course it is. This is football and you can’t stop players from progressing, but all the speculation is not an easy thing for him to deal with.
Lennon of course is just trying to ensure that Hibs eke out the best value possible in the potential deal, that is completely his right as manager of the Easter Road club.
From Celtic’s perspective though, they know that they hold all the cards in this scenario. Everyone knows Brendan Rodgers wants McGinn, everyone knows McGinn is a boyhood Celtic supporter, everyone knows that his contract expires next summer and everyone knows that the Hoops can sign him for free in January.
The player has the potential to be a first team star in Glasgow, but the club must be wary of paying over the odds for the player given his contract situation. Some might see that as cheap, but it’s an inevitable market reality.
The negotiators at Celtic won’t be pressured into pursuing a bad deal simply because Hibs want them to, especially when they are dropping the player from first-team action like tonight against NSI Runavik.
Should Celtic end all the speculation and make the bid Hibs are looking for, or should they wait until January? Let us know in the comments below…