West Bromwich Albion were on the verge of finalising a £5m transfer for Mikey Johnston, but the deal was abruptly cancelled by Flamengo after late medical and performance concerns emerged.
Now according to Brazilian insider Venê Casagrande, the winger had his flight booked and was set to land in Rio de Janeiro at 5am on Tuesday to sign a four-year contract. His gross salary would have been £1.2 million per year – a significant increase from his current wage at West Brom, understood to be around £650,000 a year.
With everything in place, the decision from Flamengo’s board came at the last minute, and the player was left clearly uncomfortable with how the situation unfolded.
The cancellation followed a decisive meeting between club president Luiz Eduardo Baptista and Flamengo’s medical department, as we previously reported.
Internal evaluations concluded that Johnston would only be physically fit to play around 1,800 minutes per year – less than half of the 4,000 minutes considered a minimum for short-term squad contributors at the club.
Based on that assessment, the president personally vetoed the transfer.
The decision came despite a full agreement between Flamengo and West Brom for a permanent deal, including a fixed fee close to £5m plus bonuses.
At this stage, Johnston remains at West Brom, and it remains to be seen whether other suitors will emerge in the summer window.
