Mikey Johnston decided it was time to leave Celtic last summer.
Johnston sealed a £3m switch to EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion, representing fantastic profit for the Bhoys.
That was after a loan spell with the Hawthorns outfit, where he seriously impressed and showed the quality he really could offer.
Johnston was a regular for Albion last season as he made 42 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists.
And his performances have seemingly caught the eye of Brazilian side Flamengo.
Johnston close to stunning £5m Flamengo switch
It is being reported by Express & Star journalist Lewis Cox on X that Johnston is on the verge of an incredible move to the Brazilian giants.
Cox states that the transfer is worth approximately £5m to West Brom, meaning they will make a tidy £2m profit on the Irish winger.
It is said that Johnston’s move to Flamengo will be ‘life-changing’ and the deal for him to sign is ‘progressing smoothly’.
Flamengo are currently 1st in the Brazilian Serie A and holders of the Supercopa do Brasil, the equivalent of the English Community Shield for Brazil.
They reached the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup this summer as they lost to German giants Bayern Munich 4-2 in Miami Gardens.
Johnston’s stats for Celtic
Johnston burst onto the scene during Brendan Rodgers’ first spell in charge of Celtic and the Northern Irishman was a big fan of the youngster.
But after Rodgers left for Leicester City in February 2019, Johnston’s fortunes at Parkhead began to rapidly decline.
| Season | League Apps | League Goals | Scottish Cup Apps | Scottish Cup Goals | League Cup Apps | League Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 5 |
| 2019-20 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 6 |
| 2020-21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2022-23 † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024-25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 93 | 13 |
He wasn’t able to stay fit for long periods and that ultimately killed his chances of gaining momentum again in a Celtic shirt.
But Johnston’s loan move to West Brom revitalised his career and the permanent switch last summer was the correct decision for all parties.
Now, a transfer to Flamengo is in sight. What a prospect for Mikey.
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