Latest reports from the The Sun on Sunday (09/12; page 57) suggests that Bournemouth are eyeing a move for Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor in January. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as McGregor has been going great in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops and he is an integral member of Brendan Rodgers’ squad. It is reported that the Glaswegian giants would demand £10m for their midfielder which the Cherries won’t hesitate in paying.
Lewis Cook has been ruled out for the season due to injury, and that is one of the primary reasons why Eddie Howe is after a midfielder in January. McGregor has come up from Celtic’s academy, and one can say he is currently at the peak of his powers.
The spending power of even the so-called lesser Premier League clubs have increased, and Celtic are set to face a fierce battle in keeping hold of their midfielder. Currently, Bournemouth are one of the most exciting teams of the Premier League and they have been playing some eye-catching football at the moment.
In the last month or so, the 25-year-old has also shown his versatility as he has played in a deep position after an injury to Scott Brown. It now seems like Rodgers prefers him even when he has Brown available. The midfielder has often played on the left flank as well as a no. 10 in a more attacking role. Therefore, his versatility could be one of the reasons why the Cherries are keen on him.
Celtic have had some bad results here and there, but they still are on course to win another League title. Their demolition of Kilmarnock suggests that they are not going to let go of their champions status so quickly. £10m might be too good an offer for the Hoops to refuse and they could be tempted to sell.
However, replacing the midfielder is going to be a tough task for Rodgers as he often depends on him and so far he has played the most number of games this season. Scott Brown is in the final year of his deal and losing someone like McGregor could hamper the club’s midfield options in the long run.
This is not the first time that Celtic players have been targetted by English clubs and every time that is the case, the Hoops look second favourites until and unless the player himself wants to stay. It would be interesting to see how Rodgers handles this situation. The club should definitely try to keep hold of him, especially in the January period.
