CELTIC will this week sign John McGinn as Stuart Armstrong heads out of the door to join Southampton. The interest in the Hibs player from Derby County’s new manager Frank Lampard will only speed up the move by Brendan Rodgers but it is going to take a dramatic turn of events now to frustrate the Celtic boss who will be looking to add McGinn to his pre-season trip to Austria as the squad gets ready for the Champions League qualifiers.
Hibs will accept around £3million for McGinn who, like Armstrong has one year left on his existing deal.
Lampard’s move contrasts with the lack of movement from Ibrox where Steven Gerrard has overlooked the player regarded by many as the best in Scotland outside of the Celtic squad.
Maybe there are other reasons for that lack of interest – maybe financial or perhaps because of the player’s background. McGinn is steeped in Celtic heritage and the chance to join the club he has supported all of his life is very much something he has dreamed of.
Playing at the other end of the city would be a little less attractive for any Celtic supporting player and the recent experience of Michael O’Halloran by their supporters would have to be considered by any player offered such a move.
Armstrong’s move to the Saints, which will see Celtic receive just over £4million in an upfront payment – with 10% of this going to Dundee United as The Celtic Star revealed on Saturday morning.
Like Celtic, Hibs are in the position now where it is the right time to sell a player who is not going to commit to a new deal with the club and would leave from free at the end of the new season.
So it’s Armstrong out and McGinn this week and there’s likely to be another Celtic player going out the door this week too. More to follow….
And following on from Jim Craig this morning on The Celtic Star, we’d all like to wish a very happy Birthday to Hibs manager Neil Lennon and also to Celtic skipper Scott Brown.
