OPINION
If the latest report is to be believed, Peter Lawwell and the rest of the Celtic hierarchy are closing in on what would undoubtedly be the club’s best deal of 2018.
The Daily Record report that the Hoops are closing in on an agreement with centre-back Kristoffer Ajer over new deal at Parkhead.
The newspaper claim that talks between the two parties started last month, and negotiations are ticking along at a good pace as Celtic aim to tie the 19-year-old down to a long-term deal.
Ajer, who recently won his first senior cap for Norway, still has two years left on his current deal at Celtic, but the club are now set to secure his future for much longer than that.
If this report is on the money, then Lawwell and the Celtic top brass must be lauded for their work in bringing such an important deal close to fruition.
Ajer has been one of the club’s most consistent performers this season, and in truth their defence would be all at sea without his calming presence throughout the season.
All around him his defensive partners – namely Derdryck Boyata, Jozo Simunovic, and Mikael Lustig – have committed terrible errors and put in some atrocious performances.
Ajer meanwhile has been a rock at the back for the Hoops, and at just 19 years of age the Norwegian looks a massive prospect for the future.
Securing his long-term future at the club is so important as he is the kind of player that teams can be built around, and that is exactly what Celtic will hope for in the coming years.
Reports elsewhere have suggested that some big European teams are taking notice of Ajer’s form, and that means this new contract becomes even more important.
It is safe to say that if Ajer does indeed agree terms of a new deal at Parkhead, Lawwell and co. will have pulled of Celtic’s deal of the year…and we’re only in April.