Stoke City are interested in a deal to bring Alistair McCann to the bet365 Stadium this summer.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by The Sun on Sunday (27/06, p61) (via Football League World), who claimed that Michael O'Neill's side are among number of Championship clubs keeping tabs on the St Johnstone midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.
The report added that the Scottish Premiership side would demand a fee of around £1m in order to part with the 21-year-old this summer, with the Potters said to be attempting to raise funds through player sales in order to make a bid for the youngster.
O'Neill must move
Considering how promising McCann looked for St Johnstone last season, along with Stoke midfielder Sam Clucas being heavily linked with a move away from the club, it is unsurprising to learn that O'Neill is considering a move for the Northern Ireland international this summer.
Indeed, over his 34 Scottish Premiership appearances for Callum Davidson's side last term, the £1.08m-rated man scored two goals and registered two assists, as well as averaging 0.7 key passes per game. The 21-year-old also impressed in more traditional central midfield metrics, averaging 1.5 interceptions and 2.7 tackles and winning 5.9 duels per league fixture.
These returns saw the man Jason Holt dubbed an "undroppable" player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as St Johnstone's 10th-best performer in the Scottish top flight.
As such, should Clucas go on to leave the bet365 Stadium this summer, McCann would appear to be an ideal replacement for the 30-year-old, as well as being a player who, at just 21 years of age, would seem to have a considerably brighter future than the current Stoke man.
It would appear highly advisable for O'Neill to do all he can to get a deal over the line for his fellow countryman this summer, or else the 51-year-old runs the risk of coming up against him in the Championship next season.
In other news: Forget Collins: Stoke transfer update emerges on £5k-p/w beast which will delight O'Neill