West Brom and Burnley 'fighting' for Celtic man ahead of the transfer deadline
Celtic are expected to cut ties with the attacker between now and the end of the window
Celtic winger Mikey Johnston is on the radar of both West Brom and Celtic ahead of the deadline on Friday. According to the Express & Star, the pair have had bids in the region £3million ‘accepted’ for the player and are ‘fighting’ for his signature as they await his decision.
The 26-year-old, who is under contract at Celtic Park until June 2026, spent the second-half of last season on loan with the Baggies. He moved to The Hawthorns in the January transfer window on a temporary basis to get some game time under his belt.
Johnston was a hit during his time in the Midlands and adapted well to life in the Midlands. He scored seven goals in 20 games in all competitions to help Carlos Corberan’s side reach the play-offs. However, they missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing out to eventual winners Southampton at the semi-finals stage over two legs.
The Glasgow-born man has risen up through the academy ranks at Celtic. Speaking earlier this year, Brendan Rodgers said: "What he has demonstrated (at West Brom) is no surprise. He is one of the best talents to come out of this academy, he is quick, direct, can score goals. So for him to get that award - there's some outstanding players in the Championship - shows you how well he has done. Hopefully he can continue with that and come back to Celtic in the summer and feel really energised again, full of confidence, and be ready to make an impact."
Johnston was a regular for the Hoops at various different youth levels as a youngster before making his debut back in 2017 in a league fixture against St Johnstone. He has since played 93 matches altogether and has found the net on 13 occasions, as well as having a loan stint away in Portugal in the past at Vitória de Guimarães.
Rodgers has been coy on the Republic of Ireland international’s future and said recently: “We’ll just see what happens. He showed a real robustness, he trained right the way through and had some real nice impacts for us in our games.
“He wanted to go out and play more, he did that at West Brom and done really, really well. Clearly, that will bring some attention to him. But we’ll see how the next week goes and take it from there.”
Celtic have won all three of their fixtures in the league so far this term and will be eager to keep their momentum going in their next clash against rivals Rangers. They have until the deadline on Friday to conclude any incoming or outgoing bits of business.
It appears increasingly likely that Johnston will be heading out the exit door with West Brom and Burnley battling it out for his services. His impending exit would free up space and funds in the Hoops’ ranks.