Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer is close to leaving the Scottish giants for Brentford in a deal worth £13.5 million. Ajer has emerged as one of Celtic’s most important players in recent years, turning into a leadership figure despite his young age of 23. The Bhoys were going for an unprecedented 10th title in a row in the 2020/21 season, but a drop in performances under Neil Lennon led to Rangers winning the Scottish Premiership. Ajer was one of a handful of players who still performed. He has entered the final year of his contract and Celtic feel the need to cash in before he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2022. Ajer himself has also expressed a desire to leave Celtic Park as he believes he has achieved all he can in Glasgow. The Norwegian has previously been linked with a move to Newcastle and Norwich, but both of those clubs were allegedly unwilling to meet Celtic’s asking price. Now, according to the Daily Record, Ajer will move to Brentford for £13.5m which would represent a record transfer for the newly-promoted side. The Bees are on the cusp of their first ever Premier League campaign after earning promotion from the Championship. Following the disappointments of last season, Lennon was sacked as manager with John Kennedy put in temporary charge. Ange Postecoglou Cetic would eventually find a permanent manager in the form of Australian Ange Postecoglou. Though Postecoglou is perhaps not well-known to football fans in Europe, he enjoys a huge reputation in Asia. He guided Australia to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and also to Russia in 2018, though he wasn’t in charge for the latter tournament. In 2019 he won the J-League with Yokahama. The Hoops have already completed three deals this summer. On Wednesday the acquisition of Israeli winger Liel Abada was confirmed for around £3m, while Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide both arrived from Sheffield Wednesday for nominal fees previously. Celtic have clearly been expected Ajer’s departure as they have been working on a £4m deal for Rubin Kazan centre-back Carl Starfelt.
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