The John McGinn story is one that most Celtic fans are aware of. Having grown up supporting the club, the Scottish midfielder was believed to be on the verge of signing with the Hoops during Brendan Rodgers' first stint at Parkhead. But the Glasgow giants ended up letting things drag on for far too long. That allowed Aston Villa to swoop in and complete a deal before them.
In hindsight, that has proven to be a major mistake for Celtic. McGinn has gone on to prove himself as a top-level Premier League player.
He is now the captain of Aston Villa, a team that impressed in the Champions League this season and are in contention to qualify for next season's competition as well. So, it goes without saying that the Hoops could have done with a player like him.
There is zero chance that Celtic can sign McGinn right now. But what about a potential move sometime down the line? As reported by Born Celtic, Mark Guidi said on The Go Radio Football Show:
"I think maybe two years down the line, I could see something like that, but right now, he’s the captain for Unai Emery. I’d be surprised.
“And I don’t think he’s at that age were Villa would let him go for nothing if he was going to go. But I don’t know, they’d be talking at least, down the road, at least £20 million for John McGinn.
“But maybe two or three years time, we could see him playing for Celtic, yeah."
John McGinn tipped for blockbuster Celtic transfer
McGinn is 30 years of age right now and he is in his prime. The midfielder currently has a contract with Aston Villa that runs until the summer of 2027. Who knows what the future will hold after that.
There is no doubt that McGinn is a Celtic fan. He has never made a secret of it. So, if the opportunity presented itself to play for the Hoops, that will certainly be attractive to him.
That being said, he is a professional footballer. A lot of the time, the decisions they make do not involve the emotional side of things.
Also, for Celtic, the timing will be important. It would make sense for them to bring in someone like McGinn at 32 or 33 years of age, but not much beyond that. Of course, if the opportunity is there in the first place.