St Johnstone are set to turn down the third offer from Hibernian this summer for in-demand defender Jamie McCart as Swansea City and Bournemouth continue to circle, according to the Daily Record.

McCart remains a player in a lot of demand ahead of the final few days of the transfer window. St Johnstone have already rejected two offers from Hibernian for the defender’s services.

While it is thought that there has also been interest from the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland during the summer window so far.

The Daily Record have recently reported that both Swansea and Bournemouth remain in the hunt for McCart ahead of the transfer deadline. It is thought that both could yet make a move for the 24-year-old before the window closes.

It was also believed that Hibernian would be set to come in with a third offer to finally tempt St Johnstone into selling McCart to them.

 

The latest update from the Daily Record reveals that the third offer from Hibs has not been good enough in terms of the structure of the deal for St Johnstone to accept.

That comes with them wanting to receive more of the transfer fee upfront than has been offered so far.

The verdict

This is a potential boost for both Swansea and Bournemouth in terms of their chances of agreeing a deal with St Johnstone for McCart before the window closes.

However, it seems that Hibs are getting closer towards their valuation and now just need to work on the structure of the deal that they are proposing to the Scottish Premier League side.

Therefore, Swansea and Bournemouth are going to have to move swiftly now to prevent Hibs from securing a deal for the 24-year-old ahead of them.

At least Hibs’ offers will have given Swansea and Bournemouth an indication of the fee that they will be needing to reach to convince St Johnstone to cash in on their star defender.

If neither side come in with a strong offer for the defender in the next day or so, though, it could see them miss out on a potential deal for him.

That would be a major shame because McCart seems to suit both clubs and he is at the age where there is plenty of room for development.

With time running out in the window it would be hard for both Bournemouth and Swansea to find alternative targets to bolster their defence. So, a move for McCart might be on the table for them shortly if he remains on the market.