A stalwart of the Canadian men’s national team could be Premier League-bound.
Ahead of Scottish champions Celtic’s season-opening match, in a press conference on Friday manager Martin O’Neill acknowledged Everton had made contact with the club around the availability of Alistair Johnston.
Though O’Neill added he wasn’t sure if a bid had been made, the Toffees’ interest in Johnston is logical after the Merseyside club went through most of last season without a traditional right-back to call upon.
Johnston, 27, has 102 appearances for Celtic since moving from MLS in the 2023 winter transfer window, and has won the Scottish Premiership in each of his four seasons in Glasgow. The move to Europe came after four seasons in MLS, with two spent in Nashville and two in Montreal, as well as a stint in LeagueOne Ontario.
Since his debut for the national team in 2021, Johnston has played 51 times for his country, including all eight World Cup games across 2022 and ’26. He was named to the team of the group stage in 2026, when Canada finished as runner-up to Switzerland in Group B.
Should Johnston move to Everton, he’d join a short list of Canadians to have played in the Premier League. Currently, Bournemouth’s Daniel Jebbison is the lone Canadian contracted to a Premier League side, but he spent last season on loan with Preston North End of the Championship.