John McGinn has proven to be one of the biggest transfer misses in Celtic history. The midfielder almost moved to Parkhead during Brendan Rodgers' first stint at the club. But the Hoops allowed the saga to drag on and did not push for the deal in time. That allowed Aston Villa to swoop in and late sign him ahead of the Glasgow giants.
The rest is history. McGinn has proven to be one of the best players in Aston Villa's recent history. He has captained the team in the Champions League and guided them to some of their best results in the Premier League.
On the other hand, he is a legend for the Scotland national team as well. Not only does he have 81 caps but he has scored 20 goals as well. That puts him fifth in the list of top goalscorers and the highest scoring non-forward in Scottish history as well.
Recently, it has been speculated that McGinn could potentially move to Celtic when his contract at Aston Villa runs out a couple of years later. As reported by Football Insider, Pete O'Rourke said about the situation:
"It could happen in the future, there’s no doubt about that. There are strong links between John McGinn and Celtic.
“I think his granddad was Celtic chairman at one point as well. Got to remember, he came very close to moving to Celtic before he joined Villa in 2018.
“The deal to Celtic was almost done before it stalled and Villa obviously swooped in and the rest is history.
“There’s a deep connection between John McGinn and Celtic, but I don’t think John McGinn will be considering a move back up to Scotland any time soon.
“You can never rule out a move in the future. I’m sure it’s a move that might pull on his heartstrings in the future."
Journalist drops John McGinn to Celtic transfer update
It remains to be seen what the future holds for McGinn. He remains an integral part of the Aston Villa team for the time being. But will that be the case two years down the line when he is nearing 33?
Of course, you can never predict the future. But one would think that if McGinn is ever going to play for Celtic, he will have to make that switch over the next few years, and ideally as a free agent.
Celtic have signed quite a few veterans in recent years, as free agents or for low transfer fees. Aaron Mooy, Kasper Schmeichel and Joe Hart are three that come to mind immediately. The likes of Kieran Tierney and Kelechi Iheanacho can probably be considered in that category as well. So, if McGinn is available, a move could definitely work out.
Of course, the Aston Villa captain has never made it a secret that he grew up a Celtic fan. And yes, his grandfather, Jack McGinn, was indeed the club's chairman from 1986 to 1991. So, let's see if those connections lead him to Parkhead eventually.