Bayer Leverkusen have already made enquiries over Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, according to the Glasgow Times.
Ajer is into the final year of his contract at Celtic Park and looks destined to leave. In the past, it’s been claimed that the Norwegian international had identified Newcastle United as his next destination [Scottish Daily Mail, print edition, 29/04, back page].
Before Leverkusen’s reported interest, the most recent news was that Newcastle were closing in on a £6m deal for him [Sunday Mirror, print edition, 30/05, p76]. However, the Glasgow Times now believes that Ajer is interesting Bundesliga club Leverkusen.
Bayer have already agreed a deal with Celtic earlier this season over former right-back Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch youngster made the move from Scotland to Germany for £11.5m in a big-money transfer [Scottish Sun].
We spoke yesterday about how stupendously low £6m is for our star centre-back. In the past, Celtic have been reported to be looking for as much as £16m for his services this summer [Daily Record].
Bayer Leverkusen showed Celtic respect with Frimpong deal; will they do the same with Ajer?
You can’t say we didn’t strike a good deal over Frimpong in January. Yes he was dynamic and brimming with potential, but he also wanted to leave the club. To bag over £11m for his services was decent business at the end of the day.
What’s more important about that transfer is that Leverkusen showed us respect in negotiations. They didn’t come in with several lowball offers for the right-back. They knew what he was worth and they offered Celtic the appropriate fee to match that worth. Frimpong had a long way to go before he was worth higher than what we got for him.
Now, attentions turn to how much they’ll offer for Ajer. I say it all the time and I’ll say it again – just because he’s into the final year of his contract, we don’t need to allow ourselves to be robbed. If Leverkusen can throw another eight figures on the table, it would be interesting to see how Celtic respond. Hopefully the way they efficiently dealt with the Frimpong situation is matched in any pursuit of Ajer.
Pressure on Ajer to move now
We know the centre-back is off and have come to terms with it. Remember, he’s been getting pressurised into a move by his national team coach too [Sunday Post]. Combine that with his failure to sign a contract and it’s easy to see that his long-term future isn’t here.
But his next move is crucial for his development. Personally, I believe he can operate at a much higher level than Newcastle United. Leverkusen, who finished sixth in the Bundesliga, would be more like it. By going there, Ajer could still play in one of Europe’s top leagues whilst still being involved in European football.
Money will dictate who he can speak to of course. Celtic still need to agree a fee with any potential buyer before he departs. But if Leverkusen come in with a respectable offer like they did with Frimpong, Ajer should take the leap over to Germany as opposed to England.
In other news, Celtic can’t afford to wait on Shaun Maloney to kickstart their recruitment.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
