According to The Mirror's live transfer blog (July 27, 00:19am), Fulham want to sign out-of-favour Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter, and Scottish Premiership champions Celtic must hijack any move as they continue to fail to make any progress on a deal for Hibernian's John McGinn.

What's the word, then?

John McGinn in action for Hibernian

Well, The Mirror says that the 28-year-old is desperate to quit the Cherries following a frustrating 2017/18 campaign in which he fell out of manager Eddie Howe's plans – failing to play a league game for the south coast outfit since New Year's Day.

Now Howe is trying to sign Colombia World Cup star Jefferson Lerma from Levante in what could prove to be a club-record deal, and he may well want to recoup some money through player sales first – Fulham could be ready to take advantage.

Whites assistant boss Scott Parker has recommended his brother-in-law to manager Slavisa Jokanovic as he continues to mould his squad ahead of the Cottagers' Premier League return, and should he sign for them he would be competing with the likes of Jean Seri and Kevin McDonald for a spot in the middle of the park as the west London outfit look to hit the ground running.

Why should Celtic swoop for Arter?

While it is clear that McGinn has been the Bhoys' top summer target, they are still yet to get close to meeting the Scotland international's price tag, and a move for Arter could be more sensible given Bournemouth are keen to get rid and will be open to offers.

The Republic of Ireland star is good on the ball, isn't afraid to put the yards in and has a tenacious style of play, and there is no doubt that he would bring some quality to the middle of the park for the Glasgow giants and potentially be a longer-term replacement for 33-year-old Scott Brown.

Arter is also known for his positive character, and he would surely also quickly become a fans' favourite at Celtic Park under Rodgers, who could be about to make the club's most exciting signing since John Guidetti.

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