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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Kristoffer Ajer is an option for Serie A giants AC Milan as they look to bolster their defensive options, according to Tutto Mercato Web.
What’s the story?
The report from the Italian outlet states that Celtic’s centre-back is on a two-man shortlist for the Rossoneri, alongside Liverpool’s Croatian defender Dejan Lovren.
It details how new Milan manager Marco Giampaolo hopes to strengthen his side and sign younger players he can develop, with Ajer falling right into that specification.
The report also claims that the Norwegian’s agent will meet with the San Siro side’s representatives to discuss his potential transfer from Parkhead to Italy.
Ajer still has three years left on his deal and would likely command a good fee having become a first-team regular at Celtic Park since 2017, making 83 appearances for the club.
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Now is not the time to cash in on Ajer
Accepting the Serie A side’s advances and cashing in on Ajer could be calamitous for the treble treble winners.
It’s been a summer of change at the club with Lennon embarking on his first pre-season back in charge at Parkhead. Kieran Tierney looks like he could be leaving, and Hatem Abd Elhamed, Christopher Jullien and Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo have come in to bolster the defensive ranks.
If Ajer were to go, he’d need to be replaced given he featured 45 times last season. This would present Lennon with the high possibility of playing an entirely new defence going into the season – something that could be exploited by European and domestic opponents as they begin to gel.
Apart from the obvious on-field reasons for keeping the Norwegian, with Tierney potentially off to the Premier League in what would be a record fee received in Scotland, there’s no financial reason to ship him out either.
The £25m fee, reported by BBC Sport, would likely cover the transfer dealings from this window (providing the club don’t go mad). Also, with Ajer still only 21, the fee that clubs would pay this summer could rise exponentially in the future if he continues to develop into the player many expect him to be.
While it feels inevitable that he will attract more interest in the future, it would be foolish for Celtic to cash in on their talented young centre-back now.
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