‘Outstanding’: Newcastle tipped to sign £20m man who’s just like Philippe Albert

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Newcastle United hero Lee Clark has urged the Magpies to make a summer move for Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, while speaking to the Daily Record.

The former Kilmarnock boss always knew Ajer had something special.

Four years ago, when a teenage Norwegian was struggling for opportunities at Parkhead, Clark wasted little time in offering Ajer the chance to prove his worth at Rugby Park.

A few months later, a player plucked from obscurity by Ronny Deila was a regular at the heart of Celtic’s backline. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Kris has got all the attributes to play at the very top and I’m not surprised when I see him linked with the biggest clubs in Europe, whether that’s down here in England or Italy,” Clark said of the rangy 22-year-old, who is reported to be valued at around £20 million these days.

“Kris is an outstanding player.”

Should they stave off the looming threat of relegation, Newcastle may be in the market for a dominant central defender with both Fabian Schar and Federico Fernandez expected to depart on free transfers.

And Steve Bruce’s side could do a lot worse than to offer Ajer, who himself is out of contract in 2022, a fresh start south of the border.

“With my Newcastle United fan head on, I hope that happens! My mates have all been asking me about him since he was mentioned and I told them if it comes off we’ll be getting a real top player,” added the Wallsend-born Clark, who took in two spells at St James’ Park during his playing days.

“Kris Ajer is more in the mould of (former Newcastle defenders) Steve Howey and Philippe Albert, who were ball-playing defenders.

“He has turned into an excellent, accomplished centre back for a huge club like Celtic and obviously the Norwegian international team.”

Clark does add, however, that Ajer may be out of Newcastle’s price-range.

But, with his contract due to expire in 2022, Celtic may have little choice but to accept a reduced fee for one of Europe’s most talented young defenders.