Celtic set new Alistair Johnston deadline as Everton ready late transfer agreement
Everton are still in the market for Celtic defender Alistair Johnston this summer.
David Moyes knows Scottish football inside and out, identifying the Canadian international as a prime target.
Right-back has been a critical issue for the Toffees for years now.
Nathan Patterson signed and failed, Seamus Coleman was towards the end of his career and Jake O'Brien has been used out of position too much.
It's been that bad, that pre-season has seen Merlin Rohl step into the role.
And as Everton plot their pursuit of Johnston, Celtic may have other ideas that Moyes won't like too much.
Celtic put new delay on Alistair Johnston transfer
This one hasn't been straightforward since the moment that the interest came to light.
Everton want to pay £15million and could even triple his wages, but even that carrot hasn't been enough to get it over the line.
Now, the Sunday Post has reported in its print edition on 9 August that Celtic don't want to lose Johnston until late in August.
The newspaper states that the Scottish giants want to keep him around for their Champions League play-off against LASK Linz.
The two legs are scheduled for 19 August and 25 August, as Celtic look to go one further than last season.
When is transfer deadline in Premier League?
This is where things get interesting.
For this year, England and Scotland actually have different transfer deadlines, which could impact this pursuit.
Everton need to have their business done by 11pm on 1 September, whereas Celtic have until 3 September.
This could work in Everton's favour, as Celtic have longer to replace Johnston if needed, even if he leaves in the final week.
But, they could even outlast the Toffees' interest and look elsewhere to strengthen in their squad.
With their Champions League qualifier finishing on 25 August, it may leave Everton and Moyes with just one week to get a deal done for Johnston.
Given it has been such a issue for years now, you would think that Everton will go all out to solve the problem, even if they can't officially confirm the move for another couple of weeks.