FC Twente chief reveals why Sondre Orjasaeter snubbed Celtic transfer

The reason behind Sondre Orjasaeter’s decision to turn down advances from Celtic to join FC Twente has been revealed.

Twente confirmed the arrival of the Norway U21 international from Sarpsborg in a deal estimated to be worth £6.5m.

Orjasaeter turned down Celtic in January and it seemed that Brendan Rodgers had moved on to other targets but, according to Twente’s sporting director, the Eredivisie side beat the Hoops to his signature.

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Orjasaeter wanted to join Twente ahead of Celtic

The 21-year-old was wanted by plenty of clubs around Europe but decided to swap Norway for the Netherlands.

After completing the signing of the winger, Jan Streuer name-checked Celtic as one of the clubs snubbed by Orjasaeter.

Streuer said: “He definitely had more options. Celtic, for example, also wanted him; he’s been there.

“He could have gone to other countries, but he really wanted to go to the Netherlands.

“In my opinion, that’s also a great step for a young player’s development.”

We will never know how close Celtic were to signing Orjasaeter this summer but it finally means that they can focus on targets elsewhere.

Rodgers will have a clear picture of what he wants and can now work towards getting those players through the door.