Everton want Alistair Johnston. The player wants Everton. David Moyes likes him a lot. And yet, for all that clarity, the deal is still stuck where so many summer moves get stuck, on the money.
According to TeamTalk, Everton are “pressing ahead with negotiations” for the Celtic right-back, but there is “still significant work to do before any transfer can be considered done”. That is the essence of it. Interest is real, talks are active, progress is limited.
Celtic’s position is simple enough. They want “a package in the region of £15million all-in” and they are not moving off that lightly. Everton, at this stage, “are yet to show a willingness to match that figure”, which explains why discussions remain in a “holding pattern”.
This is the reality of Everton’s transfer market under Moyes. Targets are identified, the profile is clear, the need is obvious, but every negotiation has to be measured. Johnston fits because Everton need a right-back and because Moyes reportedly sees him as a player of “energy, aggression and intensity”. That reads like a Moyes full-back, functional, committed, physically reliable, no frills required.
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Everton Transfer News Points to Clear Right-Back Priority
There is no mystery around the squad planning here. TeamTalk state that “a new right-back is one of Everton’s priorities” and that they have “settled on Johnston as their leading target”. When a club gets to that stage, alternatives exist more as leverage than conviction.
Yes, Ridle Baku is mentioned as another option. Yes, Everton “also have alternatives should a deal not go through”. But the same report adds Johnston is “the far more likely addition at this stage”. In other words, this is the one they want to make happen.
That makes Celtic’s leverage stronger. Johnston is under contract until 2029, Celtic are “under no immediate pressure to sell” and they are “prepared to wait rather than settle for a lower…
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