MIKEY JOHNSTON is on the brink of ending his seven-year Celtic association.
The Republic of Ireland international winger is poised to sign a permanent deal for Championship side Burnley.
Johnston, 25, is reportedly due for a medical at the Turf Moor club ahead of agreeing a five-year contract.
The wide man impressed during his short-term loan stint in the English second-tier at West Brom last season when he scored seven goals from 20 appearances for the Midlands outfit.
CAPITAL CRUNCH…Mikey Johnston challenges for the ball in Celtic’s 2-0 league win over Hibs at Easter Road earlier this month.
However, Johnston has become a bit-part player at the Hoops and CQN recently flagged up the fact he was a Celt at the crossroads.
He didn’t figure in the squad for the 3-1 Premier Sports League Cup win over Hibs at Parkhead on Sunday and he was a no-show when the champions kicked off the new league campaign with a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock on Flag Day in the east end of Glasgow a fortnight earlier.
Johnston, who was given his first-team debut by first time-around Brendan Rodgers in May 2017, made a 74th-minute appearance in the 2-0 league victory at Easter Road when he replaced Kyogo Furuhashi.
Unfortunately, the Glasgow-born touchline operator was forced to come off in stoppage-time suffering blurred vision after a mid-air collision with Hibs keeper Joe Bursik.
Johnston, who still has two years to run on his contract, spent the 2022/23 campaign at Portuguese top-flight side Vitoria Guimaraes.
DOWN AND HEADING OUT…a groggy Mikey Johnston is floored against Hibs.
Reflecting on the player’s situation, Rodgers admitted recently: “I think Mikey is at the stage where he’ll probably want to play more.
“There are some clubs that have shown interest in him, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.”
Burnley gaffer Scott Parker is looking for a wide player and Johnston has emerged as a target, according to local media.
There has been no evaluation of what the Lancashire club may be expected to pay, but they have just sold left-winger Wilson Odobert to Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs for a fee in the region of £25million.
Watch this space!
