Celtic have identified Kristoffer Ajer’s replacement

The roller coaster ride that is Ajer’s transfer talks will soon be coming to a close, as Celtic have revealed a new face in the crowd.

The summer transfer window is changing the face of Scottish football, and it has only just begun. There are multiple reports of players, both mainstays and loans, leaving Celtic to pursue other avenues of interest. Fraser Forster, one of The Hoops most valuable loans, has returned to Southampton F.C for the foreseeable future. It’s not a stretch to see another great Southampton loan, Mohamed Elyounoussi, leave too. Odsonne Edouard’s future at the club is a bit uncertain as a player of his caliber can make a fortune wherever he chooses to go. Now, what about Kristoffer Ajer?

Ajer wants out per his press release, which has caused fans and pundits to react with venom. The Bhoys are reluctant to let him leave, going as far as setting an asking price of £25 million for the young Norwegian. It is a tried and true tactic, Southampton recently used it to keep Forster with them, and now Celtic are doing the same.

Or so it seems.

The roller coaster ride that is Ajer’s transfer talks will soon be coming to a close, as The Hoops have revealed a new face in the crowd to take the place of their defender. Per The Athletic, another name has been thrown into the mix,  Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna. He has helped the team obtain the second best defensive percentage in the Scottish league. He has worked hard, coming up through the Aberdeen youth team and has amassed 112 games for the club since 2016.

Perhaps the brass at Celtic want to get their money’s worth for the Norwegian standout, he has been with the club since 2016 and became a staple of the first team thereafter. He has played 129 games for The Hoops, scoring five goals and providing three assists in his career with the Scottish giants.

Ajer is being scouted out by big names like AC Milan, who do not seem worried by such a high asking price for such a young talent as the 22 year old defender. There were rumors circulating that Leicester City had designs on the center-back but that ship has since sailed.

Now this could be just a smart ploy by Ajer, to drum up some buzz before things get back to normal. He has never stated that he himself wishes to leave Celtic, it was through his former agent, which he has now parted ways with. The story has so many twists and turns that we will just have to wait and see what comes out of it all.

But if it’s not just hype: Is Scott McKenna the right man to take the place of Kristoffer Ajer?