Celtic were interested in Aberdeen’s centreback Scott McKenna in the summer, and the Dons reportedly rejected a bid for their star centre back which was said to be around the £3.5m mark. English club Aston Villa also showed an interest in him, but Aberdeen were able to keep hold of their star centre back. However, if the latest reports are to be believed then Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers are now keen to make a move for McKenna in the January window. The West Midlands club’s scouts were present in attendance to watch the 21-year-old in action against Motherwell.
This should be a worrying sign for the Hoops as there was every chance that they could have revisited their target back in January. The Bhoys might have kept things tight at the back off late, but there is a good chance that they would be without Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata by next summer.
Boyata was close to leaving the club in the summer, and once the January window starts, there is again a good possibility that the Belgian would want to push a move through. To be honest, the Hoops should let him leave in the winter period as that way they would be able to get some funds which would soften the blow of losing a top quality defender. It is likely that the 27-year-old might not sign a new contract. Therefore, it’s better to sell him for something in January than to lose him for free next summer.
Wolves are flying high currently in the Premier League, and they have the means to outbid someone like Celtic. Therefore Rodgers might be losing this battle if he was thinking of going for McKenna once again in January.
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes is also aware that their star defender is too good a player to play for them for long and a move to somewhere is inevitable. He was quoted as saying,”There’s an inevitability about it all at this point and we know Scott will at some point be moving on to bigger and better things.”
What makes the Scottish international stand out is his ability to read the game and his decision making. McKenna is strong in his duels and the Scotsman can also fill in as a left back. The defender is a modern-day center-half as he can carry the ball up the field as well.
There were some reports earlier that Aberdeen can demand as much as £10m for McKenna and Celtic would have to make him their all-time record signing if they wished to get him. The Hoops might have thought that with time and negotiation, the price would come down but when an English club loaded with cash like Wolves show up, it seems unlikely that Aberdeen would take anything less than their demanded price. All in all, McKenna seems like a lost cause for Rodgers at this point.
