Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor tries to cross the ball. (Getty Images)
Towards the end of August, a report from Leicestershire Live claimed that Leicester City had been lining up a £20million raid on Celtic for Callum McGregor. It was reported back then that Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers had been keen on a reunion with the midfielder, having worked with him during his previous managerial spell at Parkhead.
However, a move eventually failed to materialise for the Hoops graduate, who ended up staying put at his boyhood club.
Born in Glasgow, Callum McGregor rose through the youth ranks of Celtic and represented the Hoops across youth levels. He made his first-team breakthrough in the Scottish Premiership during the 2014-15 season and has gradually carved out a reputation as one of the best central midfielders in his homeland.
The 27-year-old has already won 13 major pieces of silverware, including 6 domestic titles at Parkhead. McGregor has accumulated an impressive tally of 51 goals and 58 assists in 289 appearances for Celtic across all competitions.
McGregor represented Scotland in youth levels before making his senior international debut in 2017. He has amassed 24 caps for his nation so far.
Leicester City have some quality players like James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, and Dennis Praet competing for places in central midfield.
The Foxes also have Nampalys Mendy and academy boy Hamza Choudhury to compete with Wilfried Ndidi in the defensive midfield role. Hence, it goes without saying that Brendan Rodgers isn’t really short of options when it comes to his midfield department.
The Foxes, though, can still do with another utility player like Callum McGregor in the middle of the park, especially because he’s capable of slotting into a wide variety of roles. Essentially a box-to-box midfielder by trade, McGregor has the versatility to play at the base of the midfield in a defensive role, out wide on the flanks, and also as an attacking midfielder.
The 27-year-old has been an epitome of consistency for Celtic over the years and Rodgers will certainly be well aware of his qualities after managing him to great success at Parkhead. Besides his versatility, McGregor’s glowing track record of goals and assists indicates that a deal for the Scottish international would reduce the creative workload on Maddison and Tielemans.
McGregor has backed up his domestic heroics in Scotland with some top-notch performances in the Europa League and Champions League over the years. That clearly suggests he’s ready to make the step up to a more competitive league. With Leicester now competing in Europe, the 27-year-old’s wealth of experience could hand a significant boost to the ranks at the King Power Stadium.
The Celtic graduate still has several years remaining in his prime at 27. That coupled with his versatility, pedigree and experience makes him well worth a significant outlay for Leicester in the market. That said, they should definitely revisit their interest in the Scotsman come January.