Bayer Leverkusen is the latest club to be linked with a move for Celtic’s Kris Ajer. The Norwegian central defender has attracted interest from Newcastle United but Celtic are said to value him at £16m. As reported by the Glasgow Times, the Bundesliga side is considering a move for the highly-rated defender.
Ajer has one year remaining on his Celtic contract, he scored the penalty that sealed the Quadruple Treble but showed defensive frailties over the course of the season. He is an intelligent defender that has bags of untapped potential, a new manager could help improve Ajer, offer him a new deal and eventually let him part for a record fee.
Celtic sold Jeremie Frimpong to Leverkusen in January for £11.5m and it would appear that the club are using the Scottish market to scout emerging talent. Ajer will likely have a lot of interest in his services but he may consider remaining at Celtic if a new manager that captures the imagination is appointed. Similarly, the club may feel that keeping him until after the European Qualifiers is more prudent than selling up straight away.
Elsewhere, it looks like Jack Hendry will be leaving the club with Oostende set to exercise their option to buy on the defender. Celtic are needing to undergo an enormous rebuild and it would help to have a manager, director of football and first team players there for next season. However, as it stands the club are struggling with all three of these aspects.
