Preston North End have agreed a £3m deal with Celtic to sign Republic of Ireland forward Johnny Kenny, moving to replace Milutin Osmajic.
Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph reported that Preston have secured the fee on English transfer deadline day, with the 23-year-old travelling to Euxton to finalise a four-year deal at Deepdale. The deal represents a significant return for Celtic, who brought Kenny to Glasgow from Sligo Rovers in 2022 for a fee in the region of £125k–£140k.
Preston’s push came ahead of interest from Blackburn Rovers and Kenny’s former loan club Bolton Wanderers, with multiple outlets noting that the Lilywhites had moved decisively to beat those Championship rivals to his signature.
Kenny emerged through Sligo Rovers’ academy, scoring 11 goals in 31 appearances as a teenager before attracting Celtic’s attention. In Glasgow he made 32 appearances and found the net seven times, with his time at Parkhead punctuated by several loan spells. An initial stint at Queen’s Park yielded no goals in 12 games, but two separate periods at Shamrock Rovers saw his scoring rate rise sharply - five goals in 30 league matches in 2023, followed by a breakout campaign the next year when he registered 20 goals in 39 games across all competitions.
Last season Kenny spent the second half on loan at Bolton Wanderers, where he recorded nine goal involvements in 14 league appearances, contributing six goals and three assists as Steven Schumacher’s side secured promotion to the Championship via the play-offs. That form, combined with his experience in Ireland and Scotland, has convinced Preston to back him as Osmajic’s successor in their attack.