Vidar Riseth believes that Kris Ajer will be a Newcastle player next season.
The defender has just over a year left to run on his Celtic contract but there has been no suggestion of an extension to the deal he signed in 2018.
Without being outstanding Ajer has been Celtic’s best defender this season although last Sunday at Ibrox won’t feature in the Highlights Reel that his agent is putting together.
A year ago AC Milan were heavily linked with the Norwegian internationalist but that speculation has dried up a little with England seeming a more likely destination after five years in Scotland.
Discussing Celtic’s Norwegians with the Daily Record, Riseth said:
I think he’ll end up at Newcastle if he wants to leave. I’ve spoken with him many times and he likes Celtic. I also know the club is working to keep him. But if he is going to leave I would imagine it would be to Newcastle.
Riseth was signed for Celtic by Jo Venglos and sold on by Martin O’Neill through a colourful period of change at the club.
If Ajer is sold it will leave Stephen Welsh and Nir Bitton as the only fit central defenders at the club for a new manager to work with as Chris Jullien isn’t expected to be back until August or September.
Since the turn of the year Hatem Abd Elhamed, Jeremie Frimpong and Patryk Klimala have been sold by Celtic with Shane Duffy’s loan from Brighton cut short.