Neil Lennon has told friends that Celtic star will leave

With the changing of the guard coming in the shape of the summer transfer window, we will undoubtedly be saying goodbye to some Celtic mainstays.

Recently a rumour has been leaked that Celtic manager Neil Lennon has told friends that a particular star and mainstay of the Hoops will not be returning. This comes as little surprise as the manager has stated that the club will be revamped for next season.

According to the friends of Lennon, a face that we won’t see on the pitch sporting the Green and White is Kristoffer Ajer.

Per Football Insider, The Hoops are losing the intrepid central defender as he pursues other avenues of opportunity at home and abroad. Despite efforts by the top brass to keep Ajer at Parkhead, the longtime player has his heart set on testing the waters.

Celtic demands a high price for a mainstay since 2016, he was brought in for £550,000 and the teams transfer fee has increased to £20 million. They have tried to keep Ajer on until 2022 at the bare minimum, but the 22-year old is having none of it and has made it clear that he wants to leave. He has made it official and has had his agent give an official announcement. If the terms are agreed to, it could spell a cash boost for the club after the novel corona virus put the sport on hold. The money can be reinvested in acquiring future talent going forward. The Hoops can build a massive nest egg with Odsonne Edouard and Olivier Ntcham also looking to leave the club. It is a sudden shakeup, but nothing that full coffers cannot fix in the short term.

In the long term though, it could but the 10IAR in serious jeopardy.

With this departure, Lennon will have to reshape the first team. He has already had to look around for a new goalie as Fraser Forster seems to be just a loan after all. There is not a goalkeeper to command the back four with authority due to Forster’s inevitable departure and now The Bhoys might have to do without a stone wall defense up the middle. A lot of strategies will have to be made, and a lot of holes will have to be shored up to make it to 10-in-a-row.

Is this shake up a good thing, or will the sudden change in the first team spell the end of the push?