Celtic look set for a battle to hold onto Kristoffer Ajer with the Bundesliga giants keen on the defender.
Ajer has been one of the real success stories in what has been another fantastic season for Brendan Rodgers’ men. The Norwegian was signed during Ronny Deila’s tenure and appeared to be facing an uphill battle to make the grade at Parkhead after only making one first-team appearance for the Hoops before leaving for Kilmarnock halfway through his first season with the club.
However, this term has been a completely different story for the 19-year-old. Ajer has arguably established himself as the best centre-back that Rodgers can call upon, proving significantly more reliable than the likes of Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic.
That form has not gone unnoticed however, with The Sunday Mirror (01/04; page 72) reporting that Dortmund are keen on the youngster – who cost Celtic just £500,000 – and are ready to make a bid in the summer that will see the Bhoys presented with the chance to make a huge profit.
Celtic must do all they can to keep hold of Ajer
An eye-watering bid for Ajer may be tempting for the Celtic hierarchy, but they must consider what impact losing him at the end of the season could have on the squad.
Rodgers arguably already needs to do major surgery on his defence this summer, so losing his best-performing centre-back would be a huge blow for the Bhoys, even if it does mean that their transfer kitty gets a significant boost.
It will be interesting to see what Ajer makes of the reports. Dortmund have a fantastic record of bringing young players through and he would be forgiven for thinking that a move to the Westfalenstadion could see him progress further than he may be able to at Parkhead. Based on this season though, Celtic fans will surely be hoping that he has no intention of heading elsewhere for the time-being.
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