'Would definitely take': Aston Villa icon says club should sign exciting Celtic duo

Stan Collymore has been ruffling feathers on social media once again.

The 53 year old - who is a Celtic fan, but played for Aston Villa over the course of his career - thinks the Villans should make a transfer move for Parkhead duo Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor.

In a provocative post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Collymore penned: “Would definitely take McGregor and Hatate in January #UTV.”

He went on to quote his original post, replying with a gif of a man fishing. As such, it is likely that Collymore only made the post as a tongue in cheek jab at Celtic supporters - but could there be more to this than meets the eye?

Should Aston Villa sign Reo Hatate or Callum McGregor?

Currently, McGregor and Hatate are two of the best central midfielders in the Scottish Premiership. So far this season, McGregor has made seven appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. Meanwhile, Hatate has also played in seven games, scoring two goals and notching a single assist along the way.

McGregor is currently in the form of his life, as Celtic continue to dominate the Scottish Premiership. However, at 31 years of age, he is slowly approaching the end of his prime years.

Hatate, though, does not have this issue hanging over him. The Japanese international is 26 years old, meaning he is just a couple of years away from his theoretical prime. Should Villa make a move for him, not only would he be ready to fit into their squad, he is also only going to get better.

Despite this, Hatate is under contract at Celtic Park until the summer of 2028. This, combined with Celtic’s stable financial situation, means that they would be under no pressure to let him go. As such, he could command a sizeable transfer fee. In the summer,

In the summer transfer window, Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers only sanctioned the sale of midfielder Matt O’Riley to Brighton once his £30m valuation of the player was met.