Brendan Rodgers reveals Celtic transfer raid that fell through as boss DID try to sign Callum McGregor for Leicester

Brendan Rodgers has admitted for the first time that he tried to tempt Callum McGregor AWAY from Celtic.

The Northern Irishman completed a sensational return to the club this week as Ange Postecoglou’s successor. And as he embarks on a second spell in charge at Parkhead, he will rely heavily on his captain, McGregor. But as he settled into the manager’s chair again, he revealed that he’s now glad Celtic rebuffed his efforts to take him to the Premier League.

After Rodgers had left Glasgow for Leicester City in 2019, almost immediately he made the Hoops midfielder a prime target. In the summer of 2020, there was talk of a huge £25million bid from the Foxes for McGregor. Celtic managed to hold firm, having sold another Rodgers favourite – Kieran Tierney – for the same amount a year earlier. The new gaffer says he DID try to lure McGregor to the King Power when he left.

And Rodgers insists that’s proof that the 30-year-old could easily operate at the top end of the Premier League. Right now, after walking through the doors of Celtic Park for a second time, he’s delighted that McGregor’s loyalty to the club meant he stayed put.

A lunch date with the Scot in Spain helped seal a Rodgers comeback. And he said: “Did I try to get Callum to Leicester? Yes. I was keen to get him. When I left, you had him and Kieran here. And certainly, when whichever one of them left, the other one was probably never going to get away.

“Kieran was the one who went to Arsenal. But for me, Callum would have been perfect for the Premier League. He could have come in and imposed how I wanted to play.

“He understands how I want to work and he can play in different positions. Callum is tactically brilliant, one of the best I’ve worked with. But I’m