John McGinn’s name will never be too far from Celtic links.
The Scotland star is a well-known Hoops fan – a few weeks ago, Charlie Mulgrew claimed that he was ‘desperate’ to play for Celtic.
Brendan Rodgers infamously tried to sign him from Neil Lennon’s Hibernian in 2018, before Aston Villa met the asking price and beat Celtic to the post.
It was one of several transfer sagas that season which eventually played a part in Rodgers’ decision to depart Celtic Park to join Leicester.
With two years remaining on McGinn’s current contract at Villa, Fabrizio Romano has issued a huge update on his future.
Update on Celtic-linked John McGinn from Fabrizio Romano
Aged 31, McGinn has over 75 caps for his country and is the fifth-highest goal-scorer in Scotland’s history.
He also now captains Unai Emery’s side, for whom he now has made almost 300 appearances.
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There have been suggestions that Celtic could replicate what they did with Kieran Tierney, and wait until the end of McGinn’s contract to bring him to Glasgow.
Premier League clubs can be difficult to deal with, but if the player has a preference to move to Celtic, a free signing becomes feasible.
But according to Romano, McGinn could be close to agreeing a new deal at Villa Park.
🚨🟣🔵 After Matty Cash new deal in place until June 2029, Aston Villa also work on new contracts for both McGinn and Rogers.
New deal almost ready for McGinn…
…while talks are at early stages with Morgan Rogers after #AVFC rejected several approaches in the summer. pic.twitter.com/UHYUNeDGpI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 21, 2025
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Villa have struggled with PSR this season, after failure to qualify for Europe altogether. They were forced to sell academy product Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle, in a bid to secure a ‘pure profit’ sale.
In the likes of Cash and McGinn, they have reliable players who they can keep in their squad regardless of instability elsewhere. Rogers may be harder to keep.
But for Celtic, this could cast real doubt over any potential move for McGinn in the foreseeable future.
Midfielders linked with Celtic
McGinn isn’t the only midfielder to have been talked about for a Celtic move in recent months.
Bobby Clark was reported to be set for a move to Celtic Park last week. The 20-year-old is on loan at Derby County from Red Bull Salzburg, and it’s still unclear if there is any weight to these rumours.
Jakob Breum was a key target for Rodgers in the summer, and plays most of his football as a midfielder. Celtic may well reignite their interest in the Go Ahead Eagles star in January.
But with Rodgers overloaded with options in the middle of the park, it would also be interesting to see if outgoings would be required to facilitate a midfield signing – Reo Hatate or Arne Engels, perhaps.