Villa to stand firm over McGinn’s future

Aston Villa will dig in and command a fee of up to £50million if they are to offload influential midfielder John McGinn in January, according to reports. The 25-year-old Scotland international has enjoyed an impressive start to the season with Dean Smith’ side, having scored three times and provided two assists for the club in all competitions.
McGinn joined Villa in summer 2018 from Scottish Premiership side Hibernian and adapted well to the Championship with six goals in 41 league appearances to help the Midlands outfit secure promotion via the play-offs in May.
He has taken to Premier League football like a duck to water and become a mainstay in Smith’s top-flight plans this term, while he is also a regular in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
The former St Mirren man netted in Saturday’s 2-1 win in Cyprus in the Tartan Army’s Euro 2020 qualifier, while his future is again being speculated over in the media.
Manchester United have been heavily linked with a possible swoop to sign McGinn as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to bolster his midfield options in the New Year.
However, Villa will play hard ball with the Red Devils if they make an approach, with reports suggesting they will want a huge fee in order to contemplate a sale.
Villa scout Bobby Jenks, who helped engineer the club’s swoop for McGinn, claims former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is keen for the Red Devils to get him on board. But Smith is adamant that he is a player that Villa have no intentions of letting depart without a fight.
He said: “The big clubs can come calling but they’ll get a short, swift reply! He’s a player we want here at Aston Villa. “His value shot up from the moment he stepped out onto the Villa Park pitch and showed just what a player he is.”