Celtic have reportedly been rejected by Aberdeen with a £5million bid for Scott McKenna.
According to the Scottish Sun, Aberdeen still want £10million for the Scotland internationalist. The offer would’ve been the highest between two clubs in Scotland had it been accepted.
The Sun believes Celtic had a £3.5million bid turned down last summer, before Aston Villa apparently saw A £7m figure halted by the Dons. It signals Celtic’s intention to recruit at centre-back, a position in which they’re awfully low on numbers.
As it stands, Celtic have Jozo Simunovic, Kristoffer Ajer, Jack Hendry, and Marvin Compper available. That’s enough to strike fear into the hearts of any Hoops supporter out there.
According to the Sun, Aberdeen believe they are in no position in which they have to sell. That’s likely the reason their valuation of McKenna is so high.
Celtic should give up with this one
Supporters aren’t overly-keen on McKenna as it stands. There has always been a split opinion on whether he would be good enough for Celtic. Signing the likes of Hendry from another Scottish club would be enough to spook some regarding a move for the Dons man.
But the Hoops are now just in the same position they were last summer. Aberdeen clearly aren’t willing to do business reasonably, as £10m for McKenna is nowhere near his true valuation. That may very well be what Aberdeen believe he’s worth, but in truth, he’s not a big enough name to splash that kind of money on this summer.
His performances for Scotland against Cyprus and Belgium haven’t impressed either. He’s a good, powerful centre-back on his day, but he has too many lapses in concentration, and isn’t as dominant in the air as some Dons fans would like to believe.
£5million too much?
McKenna’s performances against both Celtic and Rangers were mixed last season. At times, such as the 0-0 draw at Parkhead back in March, he’s looked incredibly authoritative and like someone who leads by example. Then there are games such as the 4-3 loss to Celtic and 4-2 defeat to Rangers at Pittodrie in which his positioning was all over the place.
He’s far too raw to spend £10m or anywhere near it on. Some supporters simply wouldn’t have him at Parkhead for any price. And, if Celtic have that kind of cash to splash, why limit ourselves to Aberdeen’s McKenna?
Hopefully the reported rejection is enough to turn Celtic away. There are plenty of high-quality alternatives out there, we just have to keep looking for them.
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