Celtic will need to part with £2million in order to sign St Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann, according to the Scottish Sun.
McCann has been said to have been interesting Celtic throughout the season. The Sunday Post [print edition, 09/05, back page] reported that the Hoops watched him closely in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden earlier this month.
This came after Celtic had first been reported to have scouted the midfielder back in November against Motherwell [The Courier]. McCann has dealt with the speculation in impressive fashion too. He’s claimed in the past that it simply doesn’t faze him [Scottish Sun]. That’s been proven in the campaign he’s had, helping lead St Johnstone to two successive cup wins.
Saints chairman Steve Brown has been discussing McCann, and he believes he’ll go for more than the £1.75m Blackburn paid for Callum Davidson in 1998.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Brown said: “If Ali is going to go, it will be north of that figure. There’s been interest – Ali in particular, a Northern Ireland international.
“If the right offer comes along and a player wants to leave, which is another thing you have to take into consideration, then we will sell. But it will be at a price we are happy with.”
Celtic should show St Johnstone appropriate level of respect if we want Ali McCann
There you have it Celtic. £2m and McCann is yours. Given he’s under contract in Perth for the long-term, this is incredibly reasonable.
Some may raise an eyebrow at St Johnstone wanting a record fee for the midfielder’s services. However, it’s not often they have international players on their books. As soon as McCann made his Northern Ireland debut back in November, his price-tag shot up.
Therefore, the Saints are spot on to demand such a fee. McCann’s too good a player and has enough experience under his belt for him to be of real value to the McDiarmid Park side.
If Celtic want to go in and secure him, forget the offers of £1m and £1.2m. Saints know what they’ve got on their hands and the last thing we want to see this summer is a John McGinn-like situation.
Granted, there’s no guarantee that the new manager will even want McCann in the door. He could have his eye wandering to other alternatives. But if that isn’t the case, fans don’t want a saga over the St Johnstone man. It isn’t a good look if we struggle to agree a fee.
£2m isn’t unreasonable. Not for a player with McCann’s potential. Celtic, if the new manager wants him and feels he needs to be bought this summer, please just pay the fee.
In other news, we look at the four players Celtic need to sell in order for the rebuild to truly begin.
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