Celtic make late Wolves decision that could impact Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

Celtic have agreed a loan deal for Sam Johnstone, which could end their pursuit of Balazs Toth

Celtic have agreed a loan deal for Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, which could have implications over Balazs Toth's immediate future at Blackburn Rovers.

The Scottish giants have been in the market for a goalkeeper addition all summer, following Kasper Scmeichel's retirement due to the serious shoulder injury he suffered back in February.

Finnish shot-stopper Viljami Sinisalo has been entrusted with the starting spot under Martin O'Neill, but extra depth would be needed, and Celtic have been looking at the Championship to obtain that.

The Hoops had a bid rejected for Toth just yesterday, having firmed up their admiration for the Hungarian shot-stopper, but it seems that they're not keen on upping their bid on deadline day.

Celtic closing in on Sam Johnstone loan move

Action images

Sky Sports' Anthony Joseph is reporting that Celtic have agreed a loan deal for Johnstone, with the 33-year-old set to undergo a medical in Glasgow ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm later today.

The four-capped England international has provided sufficient backup at Wolves over the past couple of seasons, but new boss Cesar Peixoto has made it clear that he's not in his plans.

Johnstone has made the bench in just one of the Old Gold's five competitive matchups so far this season, with Dan Bentley and, now, Jose Sa favoured ahead of him.

The deal will see Celtic pay a "large chunk" of the 33-year-old's wages and will bolster their goalkeeper core with some much-needed top-flight experience.

Celtic's Sam Johnstone decision could spell end of Balazs Toth pursuit

Action Images

Toth's Blackburn future has been a significant story throughout the summer. It was revelaed almost a month ago that the Hungarian, who is in the final year of his deal at Ewood Park, rejected Rovers' approaches to extend his deal.

This isn't unfamiar territory for Blackburn, who have had to reluctantly accept bids for the likes of Dom Hyam, Lewis Travis and Callum Brittain as they enter the final years of their deal in the last 12 months.

But the Ewood Park-based side are also no strangers to letting a player run their contract out and leave for free, either. Sondre Tronstad recently did that this past summer, while Tyrhys Dolan also departed at the end of his deal last summer to join La Liga side Espanyol.

According to Alan Nixon, Celtic's bid of £2.5 million was rejected by Blackburn, who want £4 million for his services. A switch to sign Johnstone would indicate that the Hoops aren't keen on paying that much for a player they could get for free next summer at the end of his deal.

Balazs Toth's Blackburn Rovers future up in the air after Celtic transfer update

Action Images

Nixon stated that the fact Blackburn rejected the offer led Toth to become unhappy in training, and he could sit out their trip to Lincoln City this evening.

That unhappiness has been played down by Rovers sources, but the Lancashire Telegraph has admitted that there's no guarantee that the Hungarian plays at Sincil Bank.

Ultimately, keeping Toth at Ewood Park could lead to the 28-year-old becoming increasingly unhappy as the season goes on, but Blackburn may be running out of time to bring in an apt replacement if they do sanction an exit, hence their stance.

Other clubs are said to be keen on Toth, so there's still the possibility of an exit, even if it isn't to Celtic, but if he were to leave before the deadline, the sooner, arguably, the better, so a new keeper can be brought in to compete with Aynsley Pears for that number one spot.