Aston Villa have opened talks with Hibs over the transfer of John McGinn, according to a report in The Sun.
As recently as Sunday Neil Lennon admitted that Celtic were the only club to have submitted a bid for the midfielder who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Villa are expecting to lose Jack Grealish before the English transfer window closes on Thursday with McGinn an obvious replacement.
Celtic are understood to be the midfielder’s preferred choice but if a deal is agreed with Villa he may find it hard to resist a move to the Midlands.
Villa have been in turmoil since losing out to Fulham in the Premiership play-off but after fears of administration the club was bought by billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, neither of whom come from Motherwell.
If a transfer to Villa is agreed McGinn will miss Hibs’ Europa League tie against Molde on Thursday, if he plays in that match Hibs face losing him for nothing next summer or trying to negotiate a deal with Celtic before the end of August.
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