Stephen McGinn has revealed the truth about his brother John’s move to Aston Villa and how a switch to his boyhood club, Celtic, never came to fruition.
In the summer of 2017, the Hoops were on the lookout for a central midfielder.
As a result of his standout performances for Hibs, a move for McGinn seemed inevitable. Given that he was also a Celtic supporter, the club seemed likely to eventually sign the Scotland international.
The Bhoys, though, were unwilling to match the fee the Hibees wanted for their prized asset.
Aston Villa, then of the English Championship, swooped in and promptly completed a deal.
McGinn’s brother Stephen recently lifted the lid on the transfer and revealed how the family thought John would sign for Celtic.
“I remember watching the games against Celtic and thinking ‘surely they are going to take him as a no-risk [signing]’,” he said (Open Goal via Football Scotland).
“That was basically what we [the family] thought was going to happen [a move to Celtic] because it was only Celtic that were in really. I think Celtic had wind of that as well.
“I remember the agents saying that if Villa get the transfer embargo sorted, then they are coming in.”
The English side eventually did swoop and secured McGinn’s services for just £3.5m.
Celtic dithered and missed out on signing the now Villa captain.
It remains to be seen whether he would have reached the levels he is currently at with the Birmingham club if he joined the Scottish Premiership champions, though.
Regardless, it would have been intriguing to see McGinn play for the Hoops. Instead, he will turn out against them at the beginning of next year at Villa Park in the UEFA Champions League.
