RILEY MCGREE didn't snub Celtic for Middlesbrough over money, according to Chris Wilder.
The Boro boss has sealed a deal for the midfielder, 23, with a move to Celtic ruled out after initial discussions.
Ange Postecoglou confirmed he had held tentative talks with McGree over a switch to Parkhead, but insisted he quickly moved on as the player "looked elsewhere".
There had been speculation McGree's decision was influenced by a mega-money contract in the English Championship but Wilder insists that's not the case.
He slammed rumours his side splashed the cash to land McGree, saying: “There is a lot of nonsense being written which I need to get to the bottom of in terms of blowing other clubs out of the water with fees and in terms of wages.
“That’s not just with Riley, that’s with Flo [Balogun] and with Aaron Connolly too.
“We’ve been into these players for a while now and we’ve understood the deals and situations, and as happens, these boys have other clubs coming in for them.
“But genuinely, if you ask those three players where they wanted to come and where they wanted to be, they’ve got their opinion.
“You can say, of course they’re going to say that, but I genuinely believe they do want to be here, especially in Riley’s case.
“I’ve known about him for a while and it speaks volumes about the hard work we put in.
“I don’t believe they’re coming because of a financial point of view. We are competitive and we have been competitive, but I think there are a lot of other things that have swayed why these boys have wanted to come here."
Speaking on the talks with McGree, Postecoglou revealed it was clear no deal would be done early in the discussions.
And he stated that he'll never try to convince players to join Celtic if they can't see the opportunities available in joining the Parkhead side.
He explained: “I had a discussion with him and then he obviously decided he wanted to take an opportunity elsewhere, which is fine. It wasn’t really anything too drastic for us.
“It was just a discussion with a player I know well and for me it was an interesting proposition. But it didn’t work out, which is fine. He moves on and we move on.
“It’s an indication for me that this isn’t the right place for him. It works both ways. I only want players who want to be here.
“I won’t try and convince any player to come and sign for this football club. I won’t. If they can’t see the opportunities that exist here then that’s part of the deal for me. The ones we have signed all wanted to come here.
“It’s an easy decision. Everyone has their own free will to decide what’s best for them. But I’m not going to sell this club to anyone on its attributes or virtues. If they can’t understand that in the first place then they’re probably not worth talking to from my perspective.
“With Riley McGree there weren’t a lot of discussions. There was a bit of interest but when it’s clear to me that they don’t want to come to us it’s fine. We don’t progress it from there.”
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