CELTIC have received a transfer boost with the reports today that Leicester City ‘won’t pursue’ a move for Norwegian defender Kris Ajer. The Premier League side have been heavily linked with Ajer as they look to bolster their defensive options ahead of next season; however, Leicestershire Live is reporting that Brendan Rodgers’ side won’t make a move for Ajer.
Ajer had struck up a formidable partnership with Christopher Jullien at the heart of the Celtic defence before Neil Lennon opted for a 3-5-2 in the second half of the season. The Norwegian has made 49 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish Champions as they won (at least) a double.
The report states that Rodgers is looking to move for a central defender but it won’t be Ajer. Whether this is true will remain to be seen as Rodgers was a huge fan of Ajer during his time in Glasgow but it represents a huge boost for Celtic ahead of the 10IAR season.
Reports earlier in the week suggested that Celtic and Leicester would be open to a cash plus Filip Benkovic deal in exchange for Ajer. The majority of Celtic fans on Twitter appeared to be in favour of this deal and should it be offered, Celtic would likely accept.
However, Calcio Mercato – the Italian football site – claims that AC Milan are still interested in Ajer. They state that the Milan club have been quoted €25m for Ajer’s services, which would resemble the kind of price that supporters would be happy with – as long as it is reinvested.