Celtic have 'serious interest' in Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey; Ajax also keen

By John McGinley

January 14, 2021

Celtic want to sign Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey, The Daily Mail reports this evening.

As you may have guessed, it’s not the Aaron Ramsey that immediately comes to mind when thinking of football.

This one is just 17-years-old and doesn’t have the profile or experience of the Juventus midfielder!

Nonetheless, Celtic want to bring him to Scotland at the end of his current contract. That expires at the end of the season.

The Daily Mail reports that Villa are keen on keeping the teenager and will open fresh talks on a renewal.

However, Celtic and Ajax complicate matters with their interest and are the most likely to offer him terms.

Only cross-border compensation would be due to the English Premier League outfit, who see Ramsey as one of their brightest academy talents.

Why do Celtic want Aaron Ramsey?

Despite his young age, Ramsey is already appearing regularly for Villa’s U23s side.

He’s scored three goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances this term. In last year’s U18s Premier League, he scored six in 13, primarily from attacking midfield [Transfermarkt].

He is also an English youth international teammate of hyped Celtic youngster Karamoko Dembele, though would appear to be already further along in his development.

Celtic want Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey / (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)

Ramsey is unlikely to be a player to make an immediate first-team impact but, as Jeremie Frimpong has shown, there is a path into the Celtic XI at a young age if the talent is there.

Recruiting from the elite English academies makes a lot of sense, especially in an area when moves from foreign youngsters could be complicated by Brexit.

This is one to watch over the next couple of weeks.

In other news, there are reports Dermot Desmond’s son is set to take up a Celtic role.