Bidding War brewing for Celt approaching final year of deal

Celtic look like benefitting from a bidding war for Kris Ajer.

Newcastle were recently linked with an £8m bid for the defender who confirmed on Friday that he is looking to move to a top five league.

After five years in Scotland Ajer’s decision to move on is understood by most Celtic fans who are hoping for the maximum fee and appropriate replacements in central defence.

Bayer Leverkusen signed Jeremie Frimpong in January from Celtic and seem similarly impressed with Ajer to return for further business.

Under the headline 15million euros transfer fee, Kicker reports:

Bayer 04 are dealing with the right foot, but Newcastle United from the financially strong Premier League is also showing interest. In addition, Premier League promoted Norwich City should vie for Ajer. Already in winter it was said that AC Milan had tried to create the 1.96 meter high defensive dune. The ideas of the Scots should be about 15 million euros transfer fee.

For comparison: In the traditionally more expensive winter transfer window, Leverkusen Celtic quickly won over the right wing player Jeremie Frimpong (20), who was valued at a similar market value as Ajer today, with a transfer fee of eleven million euros. However, with not so many competitors willing to pay.

That fee once a sell-on portion is sent on to Start of Norway would still bring in £10m for Celtic’s summer rebuild.

If there is another Ajer coming through the ranks in Norway that would come in handy with Celtic badly short of numbers in central defence.

With Chris Jullien recovering from injury Stephen Welsh and Nir Bitton are the only central defenders on the books but until a new manager is announced it is hard to see any recruitment getting underway.