Everton transfer target Alistair Johnston will start for Celtic tonight amid claims of a deal being close. The reliable full-back was always expected to attract interest this summer after he enjoyed a superb World Cup with Canada, reaching the Round of 16.
That came after an excellent end to the season, helping Celtic win a league and cup double, although he missed much of the season through injury.
Everton are the team showing interest, as they look to add strength and depth on the right, but they are yet to reach a deal.
Martin O'Neill says David Moyes has been in touch via a personal phone call, but Celtic are not open to a sale at any kind of discount fee. The Bhoys are already losing important players this summer, and they still have a lot of work to do in this window.
Losing Johnston would be a big problem, so it is going to have to pay well, and the Bhoys likely value him at around £20million, or maybe even a little more, given his importance to the team and the fact they will already welcome big money for other players this summer,
Johnston in action for Celtic
Amid claims of a deal being close, which are not understood to be accurate, Johnston starts for Celtic tonight, on Monday night, for their league opener with Dundee.
The full-back starts on the right side of defence, as expected, and Bhoys fans will be mightily relieved to see his name on the teamsheet. We can deduce from his starting position that a deal is not anywhere near being reached at this stage, given players typically sit out when deals are particularly close.
Add us as a preferred source on Google