John McGinn says he'd 'probably be a Celtic player' if not for family ties and how 2018 transfer fell apart

Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder John McGinn believes his family ties to Celtic may have played a significant part in him not joining them back in 2018.

The Clydebank native is the grandson of former Hoops chairman Jack McGinn and has been a supporter of the club since he was a boy. There have been a few occasions throughout his life when a move to Parkhead looked to be on the cards but none came closer than when Brendan Rodgers was pushing to bring him into the Glasgow side’s first team from Hibs.

However, the two clubs couldn’t agree on a transfer fee and the midfielder was quickly snapped up by Aston Villa. Speaking on the most recent episode of the Stick to Football show by The Overlap, the Tartan Army favourite explained how he felt Celtic probably thought Villa’s interest was a ‘bluff’ from his agent in order to increase their offer and how his treatment by the then EFL Championship outfit compared to the Scottish giants convinced him it was the right move.

“I don’t think they believed my agent” - Celtic may have taken John McGinn transfer for granted before Aston Villa switch

He said: “I think the irony is if he [Jack McGinn] wasn't my grandpa and I wasn't a Celtic fan, I probably would be a Celtic player. I think they felt because I was a Celtic fan, it would just happen, nobody else would come in and Hibs would crumble.

“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, alright, 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.

"They've done that 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 something like that.”

McGinn says Aston Villa ‘made and effort’ and recalls how 2018 wasn’t his first near miss with Celtic

Despite being desperate to sign for Celtic, it was the way he was made to feel wanted by Aston Villa that ultimately persuaded McGinn on a move there. He explained: “Steve Bruce called and said, get on a flight, we've agreed a fee. They pushed the boat out, made an effort.

“It was as if I felt like they really wanted me. They opened Villa Park at night, they said, they know I've got a big family, they said, here's box number 7, number 7 jersey, you're the man we want and that was it."

The 2018 saga wasn’t the first time that McGinn had come close to signing for Celtic. “Celtic and Rangers always used to try and get me when I was younger,” explained McGinn. “My mum and dad let me meet Tommy Burns at Celtic when I was young. I think I was 11 or 12, but my two brothers had already been released from Celtic so I don't think they wanted that same experience and hurt. They took the decision out my hands and probably the right decision. I wouldn't have got the time to grow at Celtic, there's too many players that want to sign there. St Mirren gave me the time to develop."

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