Aston Villa have joined West Brom and Crystal Palace in the race to sign James McCarthy.
According to a report in The Mirror Steve Bruce is ready to put in a January bid for the Everton midfielder who has been in and out of Ronald Koeman’s side.
Celtic have been strongly linked with a move for McCarthy but won’t be able to compete against bids in the region of £15m.
Unless McCarthy digs his heels in and insists on a loan deal to Celtic it seems highly unlikely that that he’ll be moving north of the border.
The 26-year-old has only started four Premier League matches this season and has also been caught up in a club v country row with Roy Keane and Martin O’Neill critical of Everton’s reluctance to release players for Ireland.
McCarthy has made no secret of his feelings for Celtic and was strongly linked with a move during the summer.
With a contract at Everton that runs until 2020 it seems certain that the club will be in the driving seat during transfer negotiations next month.
CLICK HERE for MSP takes up Ibrox safety fears
CLICK HERE for Hearts star accuses John Beaton
CLICK HERE for Would this Celtic second XI win the SPFL?
CLICK HERE for Rodgers explains the big Rodgers question
