Hibs’ £1m Luke McCowan Offer Detailed Amidst Celtic Swoop

At the eleventh hour on transfer deadline day, Luke McCowan became Celtic’s eighth summer signing.

The Dundee skipper made a last-minute switch to Parkhead following a productive few years at Dens Park.

It wasn’t just the Hoops who were after McCowan’s signature in the summer, though, with fellow Scottish Premiership side Hibernian also in the mix.

McCowan was a key target for the Hibees throughout the summer, but they couldn’t get their man.

Despite setting aside a figure which would have amounted to a club-record transfer fee, the prospect of joining Celtic was too good for the player to turn down.

Indeed, Hibs’ sporting director Malky Mackay recently lifted the lid on his side’s pursuit of McCowan, admitting that although they were prepared to spend £1m on the 26-year-old, it was difficult to convince him to come to Leith when the champions came calling.

“Now, we had an owner absolutely willing to back that signing (of Luke McCowan)”, he said (Edinburgh Evening News).

“I’ll tell you that he wanted to back it to the tune of a million pounds. The man was prepared to back that. I don’t mind saying that our owner was going to spend that.

“Obviously once Celtic come in, you are not going to get that player. There’s not a lot we can do about that.”

Having supported Celtic growing up, the opportunity to join the Scottish champions is one McCowan would never have turned down.

He admitted it felt surreal when he initially joined the club, but he soon had to get to grips with reality ahead of his debut.

Indeed, the midfielder was thrown into Sunday’s Glasgow derby for the last 15 minutes but coped amicably.

McCowan will hope the memorable 3-0 victory is the start of a special period of his career with his boyhood club.