The Parkhead defender is a man in demand on the back of the World Cup with Everton boss David Moyes preparing to make a bid
dailyrecord
12:00, 30 Jul 2026
What the transfer window giveth, the transfer window can taketh away.
Celtic fans have spent the week feeling giddy at the capture of Kasper Hogh on the back of Daizen Maeda's departure.
Now the rollercoaster could lurch again with Everton preparing an attempt to poach another one of their main men.
Hoops punters have been getting into a lather over incomings while accepting there would be a few outgoings.
They were resigned to saying goodbye to Maeda. They are braced for farewell bashes for the likes of Reo Hatate and Arne Engels.
They are not quite prepared to see Alistair Johnston pack up and go as well.
Yet it could happen. Could being the word. It’s certainly not a given. And it’s not likely unless Everton – or any other club – pony up serious cash.
The Canadian fans' favourite would be a mammoth loss if he were to go. The full back was a major miss for a chunk of last season and his impact on his return played a huge part in Celtic getting over the line to claim the Premiership title.
Anthony Ralston never lets anyone down and younger Colby Donovan has potential.
Neither are Alistair Johnston though. Celts drafted in Julian Araujo on loan last term and became a bit of a cult hero.
But the Bournemouth defender still didn’t bring as much to the party as the man he was standing in for, especially in an attacking sense.
Johnston is a big character in the Celtic dressing room but an even bigger presence on the pitch.
He’s come a long way too. Johnston was an instant success after surviving a red-hot debut at Ibrox in January 2023.
He was still raw as a pound of mince back then, particularly going forward.
Ange Postecoglou and then Brendan Rodgers brilliantly applied a bit of Brasso to help the right back shine.
Johnston’s aggression was made for Scottish football and despite his nice guy image off the field, he is a monster on it.
He is comfortable as an orthodox, overlapping full back or in an inverted role, which has made him so important to the way Celtic attack.
It’s no coincidence Celts were more of a threat towards the end of last season when he was back in business.
Little wonder Hoops fans love him and have earmarked him as a future captain.
But there was always a chance others would take notice – and the World Cup has only fired Johnston onto the wish lists in the top five leagues in Europe.
Martin O’Neill must have been hiding behind the couch when the Canada star was at his barnstorming best in his homeland.
His value might’ve rocketed but raking in fortunes won’t help a manager who might see him as irreplaceable.
That’s where this might get interesting. Johnston has done three-and-a-half years in Glasgow and he’s 27 now. He's at the optimum time to cash in.
But can Celtic afford to?
The Hoops are still well short in key areas despite the capture of a couple of strikers.
They need a minimum of one new winger, at least two midfielders – maybe more with expected departures – another centre back, a back-up left back and a keeper to challenge Viljami Sinisalo. That's a fair shopping list.
Losing Johnston now on top of it would be a heck of a body blow.
The good thing for Hoops fans is the word from inside Parkhead is they neither need nor want to sell Johnston right now.
There’s a Champions League qualifier on the horizon for a start and he will be needed big time.
It’s also dubious whether Everton are going to get to the figure that would even make Celtic blink.
Sources on Merseyside suggest David Moyes would be willing to go up to around £15m for the Canuck ace.
That’s a hefty figure – but it still might not be enough. The Toffees taking a bite might trigger others to join the fight too.
The trouble could be Johnston fancying a crack at the English Premier League.
No one could blame him. He’d be tripling his wages for a kick-off and it would be an opportunity to go to the biggest league in Europe when he is in the prime of his career.
He’s not the type of character to cause a stink mind you. Johnston is settled at Celtic and content with his quiet life in the sticks away from the city.
But a man is only as happy as his options – and there could be some tasty ones out there. Celtic can play hardball as he’s under contract until 2029, but it’s never a great idea to keep players once their hearts are set elsewhere.
Celtic will need to get braced for impact. O’Neill was fairly coy on talk of an Araujo return and realistically the only way the Mexican would be back is on a loan deal late in the window.
The £7m fee wouldn’t be a problem but the 50 grand a week plus wages would be.
But Celts should get the ball rolling and have other options lined up because there’s every chance this window could see Johnston taketh away.