Hamilton reject Celtic offer for McCarthy

Published on Thursday 14 May 2009 14:09

HAMILTON boss Billy Reid today confirmed Celtic have made a bid for star midfielder James McCarthy.

Reid refused to divulge the amount of the offer but revealed it was set to be rejected by the Lanarkshire club.

He said: "The club have received an offer for James. I can say at this stage that it will be rejected."

Celtic's offer is the second to be knocked back by Accies in the past week after they rejected an approach from Portsmouth for a fee reportedly in the region of 500,000.

McCarthy, 18, is arguably the hottest property in Scottish football and recently capped a superb debut season in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League by winning the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award.

His agent Willie McKay has claimed the player would snub a move to the Barclays Premier League in order to join Celtic.

Reid added: "We're keeping James informed at all times of the situation.

"At this stage, he's just focusing on the final two games of the season."

Should Hamilton reject Celtic's initial bid, it remains to be see whether the Scottish champions will return with an improved offer.

Reid last week warned McCarthy's suitors to forget about landing the player on the cheap.

Despite interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, Accies have managed to hold on to McCarthy since he made his debut as a 15-year-old in November 2006.

Reid is confident the latest bout of speculation will not faze the player.

"James has had this for two years and he'll not let it affect him," he said.

"We'll sit down at the end of the season and talk about James' future."