Celtic winger Mikey Johnston looks likely to be on his way out of the club after a summer of uncertainty surrounding his future.
The Republic of Ireland international reported back from a positive loan spell at West Bromwich Albion for pre-season and has since gone on to feature once as a substitute against Hibernian.
Brendan Rodgers hinted that Johnston could move on from Celtic earlier this month, citing his desire to play regular football elsewhere.
Sheffield United entered talks last week to sign the winger, coinciding with the Bhoys’ interest in Blades defender Auston Trusty, who they have since submitted a £5 million bid to try and land.
Now, it appears the wheels could be in motion for the United States international to arrive after latest developments surrounding Johnston.
Sheffield United agree fee for Mikey Johnston
Per Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph on X, Sheffield United have agreed a fee in the region of £2.5 million to sign Johnston from Celtic.
He stated: “UPDATE: Sheffield United have agreed a fee of around £2.5m for Celtic winger Mikey Johnston. It’s anticipated that this agreement could smooth things over in Celtic’s pursuit of Blades centre-back Auston Trusty.”
In that case, Celtic could be landing themselves a handy deal here, with money coming in for Johnston to offset the amount they would pay for Trusty in return. The Irishman scored seven goals and registered two assists in 20 appearances on loan at West Brom last term.
Despite never being able to establish himself as a first-choice player in Glasgow, the Lennoxtown graduate has made nearly 100 appearances for the Bhoys and had a hand in several trophies over the last seven years.
Mikey Johnston and Auston Trusty deals would be separate
In a further update, Joseph has confirmed that both deals for Johnston and Trusty would go through as separate transactions, as seen below.
Joseph said: “Wouldn’t be a swap – they are completely separate deals. But helps with relationships and negotiations when clubs are working to sign each other’s players… it can also go the other way, though!”
Intriguingly, Celtic have put themselves in a position to conduct mutually beneficial transfer business here. On the one hand, they could address the left-hand side of their defence; meanwhile, offloading Johnston clears space for another winger to enter the building.
Finally, Johnston’s exit fee would be put through the books as pure profit. It looks like this one is accelerating, so hopefully there can be full clarity before the deadline.
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