Celtic have been told they will have to pay St Johnstone a record fee if they are to sign a player Rangers fans rate very highly [Independent].
Ali McCann played against the Gers on five occasions last season and caught the eye of plenty of Bears.
More supporters pleaded with the club to make a move after he helped the Saints to a Scottish Cup final victory over Hibernian last weekend, as they pulled off a shock domestic cup double.
It’s Celtic who have been linked with the Northern Ireland international by the papers [The Courier], though, rather than the Gers.
Responding to the Hoops links, St Johnstone chairman Steve Brown has made it clear that McCann won’t be going anywhere on the cheap.
“There’s been a huge amount of interest in Ali,” he said [Independent]. “He’s been consistent over the last two seasons and is going away with Northern Ireland on international duty.”
“He’s played against Italy in the last international break and he’s a class act. Our transfer record is £1.75million and Ali will not be leaving for any less than that.
“We don’t want players to leave when we have a successful team. Selling players is one thing but replacing them is another – it’s a huge challenge to get the same calibre of player back in.”
Given that the 21-year-old is under contract at McDiarmid Park until 2023, the Saints are in a relatively strong negotiating position.
A fee in the region of £2m wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for either Old Firm club, though, particularly on a young player who has the potential to develop significantly over the next few seasons.
It’s still early days yet, so the lack of concrete links to Rangers doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no interest there, but one thing’s for sure, if he moves to Parkhead unchallenged this summer, some supporters will feel the Gers have missed a trick.
In other news, a Rangers star has been named as the Europa League assist king for 2020/21.
