West Bromwich Albion winger Mikey Johnston is on the verge of a transfer to Brazilian giants Flamengo, according to reports.
The 26-year-old initially joined the Baggies on loan from Scottish champions Celtic for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. His temporary spell was a huge success, scoring seven times in 18 Championship appearances. This led to West Brom chasing a permanent deal, which they eventually secured for a fee of £3 million late in last summer’s transfer window.
Johnston failed to hit the heights of his temporary spell last season, although still contributed three goals and five assists as Albion fell short in their bid to secure a play-off spot.
Shock Transfer Set For Conclusion
With three years remaining on his existing deal at The Hawthorns, it appears as if WBA are now set to make a profit on their initial outlay on the player. Reports emerged this morning that the Republic of Ireland international is set to complete a shock £5 million transfer to three-time Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo.
The Brazilians have just competed in the inaugural revamped Club World Cup, where they secured a 3-1 win over Premier League outfit Chelsea in the Group Stage. The exited the competition at the Round of 16 stage following a 4-2 defeat against Bayern Munich.
According to The Express & Star, West Brom acknowledge that this is a life-changing opportunity for the attacker, whilst is it also good for profit and sustainability rules. It is said that the deal is ‘progressing well’.
Brazil giants Flamengo closing in on sensational move for Mikey Johnston. Understand it’s a deal around £5m, making #wba profit on winger signed 12mths ago. Acknowledgement it’s a life-changing move for MJ, 26. Good for PSR too. Deal progressing well. 🇧🇷https://t.co/B5kdbRYhsV
— Lewis Cox (@LewisCox_star) July 5, 2025
New Baggies boss Ryan Mason has made one transfer so far this summer, bringing in centre-back Nat Phillips from Liverpool for a fee of around £3 million.
Writer’s View
This transfer represents a bittersweet opportunity for West Brom. They will be reluctant to lose a player of Johnston’s ability but will feel that making a profit on a player they signed just 11 months ago is too good to turn down. It’s refreshing to learn that they are also considering how the move could change the winger’s life. Still, this is one of the most left field transfers of the summer.
