CELTIC could offer teenage winger Mikey Johnston on a season-long loan to Hibs as they push to bring in John McGinn.
Brendan Rodgers hopes to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible following the rejection of two bids last week for the Scotland international midfielder, who is rated in the £4million class by the Easter Road side.
The Hoops offered £2million as their top price, but the Edinburgh outfit weren’t tempted to part with the 23-year-old dynamo.
The champions are refusing to pay over the odds for the player who is out of contract next summer. However, they could use Johnston, 19, as a makeweight to seal the deal.
Rodgers did something similar last year when he allowed Ryan Christie to move to Aberdeen on a temporary transfer with Jonny Hayes arriving at Parkhead for £1.3million.
Johnston is open to a loan move, as reported in CQN on Saturday, and game-time at Neil Lennon’s side could appeal to the attacker who is also on the radar of Alan Stubbs at St Mirren and Derek McInnes at Pittodrie.
Lennon is an admirer of Johnston and is still on the look-out for a wide man after Brandon Barker returned to Manchester City at the end of his loan spell last season.
Rodgers is also looking to add to his squad, but is likely to be priced out of a move for Uruguayan World Cup midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta.
The Cruzeiro playmaker – who made two appearances in Russia – has been watched by Hoops scouts, but is also attracting attention from Newcastle United and is expected to command a transfer fee in excess of £10million.
The champions are searching for attacking options after Stuart Armstrong’s £7million switch to Southampton, Patrick Roberts’ return to Manchester City and Charly Musonda’s 18-month loan deal being scrapped with the Belgian sent back to Chelsea with a year of the agreement still to run.
