Celtic pundit Russell Boyce has talked about Newcastle United’s interest in signing Kristoffer Ajer.
Boyce came on as a guest on an episode of the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast and he talked about numerous issues involving the Parkhead-based club. One topic of discussion was Ajer and his future at Parkhead. Boyce addressed the rumours linking the Norwegian with a move to Newcastle, saying that if the defender wants to move to a struggling Magpies side, Celtic are selling their image in a wrong way.
The Daily Mail recently reported about Ajer, saying that Newcastle are now ready to launch an offer of £8 million for the Norwegian. The report suggests that Celtic value Ajer highly and the fact that they’ve been free to talk about his sale since January has weakened their position in the market for the defender.
Will Ajer stay at Celtic in the summer?
Yes
No
Boyce talked about these rumours, saying that Newcastle shouldn’t be seen as a viable option for Ajer to leave Celtic in the summer.
The pundit claimed: “What is it these players are getting told these days by Celtic when they’re joining? If Newcastle becomes a viable option for you to leave Celtic as a mainstay; Newcastle United run by Mike Ashley that are in freefall with Steve Bruce in charge – if that remotely appealed to Kris Ajer, then that tells me we’re selling Celtic completely wrong now to players.”
TIF Thoughts on Ajer’s future…
The report from The Daily Mail has stated that while Ajer is aiming for a move to the Premier League, there is some interest from Italy as well.
This clearly shows that there’s no shortage of interest in the player, who is currently valued at £3.6 million. He has played regularly for the Hoops over the last few seasons, which shows his importance to the team.
But considering that Ajer’s contract runs out in the summer of 2022, 2021 might be Celtic’s best chance of earning a high fee from his sale. Since clubs are clearly interested in him, perhaps the Hoops could use that interest to create a bidding war and receive a decent sum should they decide to let him go.