‘I was desperate to go to Celtic’ – John McGinn lifts lid on failed Parkhead move

John McGinn has lifted the lid on just how close he came to joining Celtic – and why he believes the Hoops ultimately missed out on him.

The Scotland midfielder’s failed move to Parkhead in 2018 has become one of Celtic’s most infamous transfer sagas, with Aston Villa eventually signing him from Hibs for just £2.75million.

McGinn has since become Villa captain and last season led the club to Europa League glory, their biggest European achievement since lifting the European Cup in 1982.

But speaking on Stick to Football, McGinn revealed he was desperate to become a Celtic player and believes his connection to the club actually worked against him during negotiations.

McGinn recalled: “I think the irony is: if [Jack] wasn’t my grandpa and I wasn’t a Celtic fan, I probably would be a Celtic player.

“I don’t know. I think they felt, because I was a Celtic fan, it would just happen. Nobody else would come in.

“But Hibs were amazing at the time. They said, ‘We’re not going to stand in your way. We know you want to be a Celtic player, but they need to pay us what you’re worth.’

“So I gave them my word that ‘all right, that’s fine. You won’t stand in my way, but I’ll wait until they pay what I’m worth.’ And it never, ever got there.

“I can’t remember [the price] exactly. I think it was two or three million at the time. I think they bid a few times.

“They actually phoned my grandpa to try and influence me at the time. But he had a good relationship with both sides. He trusted me and my agent.

“And he said, ‘Listen, nothing to do with me. If you’ve got the money, pay the money. And John will play for Celtic.’

“But I think that was just another tactic. And then it just went on and on. It actually went on for months.”

He continued: “I met Brendan. I was desperate to go to Celtic. Everyone at Hibs knew I was desperate to go.

“And they were absolutely first class. So I remember playing in the Faroe Islands, and I was driving to the game, and I spoke to my agent, who’s still my agent now. He had been told, ‘you’re not playing in the game because you’ll be cup tied for Europe.’

“So I was like, ‘Right, fine.’ Neil Lennon knew about this. The Hibs directors knew about this.

“And I was on the pitch, checking the pitch, even though it was a national pitch in the Faroe Islands. It was a game for Runavik. I’ll never forget it.

“And the Hibs guys were flapping. They said, no bid. They’ve no bid.

“So in my head, my head’s fried, I thought. So Neil Lennon said, ‘What do you want to do? I’ll support you. Do you want to play or not?’

“And I says, ‘I’ll play.’ So I just played the game.

“I managed to score that night. And then I think I signed for Villa 10 days later.”

He added: “I mean, they’ve done that, they’ve done it with quite a few players.

“I think if I wasn’t Scottish, if I wasn’t a Celtic fan, if they thought a team would come in, they probably would have just done it.

“But I don’t think they believed my agent at the time when he said, ‘If Villa get a takeover, they’re coming in.’

“I think they thought it was a bluff for more money or anything like that.

“I bet [they took me for granted] which, at the time, I couldn’t quite understand.

“Because I’m like, right, I’m chomping at the bit to come and compete here because at the time when I met Brendan, they had a formidable midfield, trying to think exactly who was there in, Cal McGregor, Browny, all these guys at the top of their game.

“And [Rodgers] says, you’ll have to come in and compete, but you back yourself, you think. ‘Aye, aye, I’ll come in.’

“And I was excited to go there, but then Steve Bruce called and said, ‘Get on a flight.’”

HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…

NEW BOOK LAUNCH FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties in two volumes, available to pre-order now…

Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!