Hearts defender Aaron Hickey has been attracting plenty of interest from clubs on both sides of the Scotland-England border over the past season and now it seems that interest has gone pan-continental as European heavyweights Bayern Munich and AC Milan become the latest of the European elites to be linked with a potential move in the summer.
The 17-year-old promising left-back is out of contract at the end of the next season and could well be on his way at the end of the season in a move that could provide some financial respite for the cash strapped premiership side who have recently agreed a 10%-30% wage cut proposal with the majority of their squad.
The highly-rated left-back made his professional debut at the age of 16 in May 2019 and soon after started in the Scottish Cup Final, a 2-1 defeat to Celtic and has never looked back since. This season he has established himself as arguably the best player in an otherwise underwhelming season for the Jambos that has seen them presently stay hooked to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership league table.
Hickey, who has made 30 appearances this season for Hearts has been closely monitored by a host of Premier League clubs including Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Everton among which Crystal Palace are reportedly said to be best placed to make a definitive move in the summer.
Aaron Hickey eyed by #Bayern – Premier League side also interested
Manchester City and Celtic FC want the left-back #MCFC #CelticFC #ManCity #HeartsFC https://t.co/EJgCkZSEBC
— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) May 1, 2020
And now according to reports, they have been joined by Bayern Munich and Celtic who are both keeping close tabs on the rising star within the Scottish side. As mentioned earlier, Aaron Hickey has a contract that expires at the end of the next season and is presently on a low wage contract with the Edinburg based club which is something that clubs like Bayern or Crystal Palace can easily look to capitalise on by providing him better terms that truly reflect his playing capabilities.
Aaron Hickey played for Celtic as a youth player and now Celtic are looking to bring him back to Parkhead despite stiff competition from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, who are both ready to bid in excess of £1.5million to secure his services.
While that represents an insignificant outlay for the European clubs, it would represent a significant income for Ann Budge and her team if they can agree on a deal with either of the three clubs. Moreover, the German giants have been busy treading the Scottish waters this season after reports emerged of them raiding Celtic’s academy for the 17-year-old winger Barry Hepburn.
While the Germans and Premier League clubs have more resources, Celtic have the opportunity to offer him regular first-team action along with Champions League appearances that really fast track his growth and prominence as one of the best left-backs in the world.
Aaron Hickey’s emergence this season has seen him gain widespread recognition for his talents, which is why a report published by the Guardian saw the 17-year-old voted among the ’60 of the best young talents in world football’ alongside the likes of Barcelona’s Ansu Fati and FC Rennes prodigy Eduardo Camavinga.
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