Celtic could be handed an unexpected boost to their January transfer plans, with the club in line for a potential windfall amid Bundesliga interest in their former players.
Ex-Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer has been strongly linked with a move to Bundesliga giants Wolfsburg this week, with the German outfit reported to have identified the Brentford centre-back as a key January transfer target alongside West Ham United forward Niclas Füllkrug.
Currently 14th in the German top flight, head coach Paul Simonis has seen his side win just two of their opening 10 league games and is thought to be keen on adding to his backline in the transfer window, with defensive frailties seeing them concede an average of 1.8 goals per game.
The Norwegian international spent four seasons at Parkhead after being brought to the club by former head coach Ronny Deila for a bargain fee of £500,000 from IK Start while still a teenager. After winning nine trophies with the club, Ajer was then prized away in a deal thought to be worth as much as £17.5million in the summer by Brentford following their promotion to the English Premier League. A regular in the Bees backline ever since, the 27-year-old has played a key role in helping the club establish itself in the top flight.
One of the biggest sales in Celtic’s history, some reports at the time claimed that the club had inserted a sell-on clause in the deal that took Ajer to the Gtech Community Stadium, meaning the club will be due an additional payday should the Raelingen-born defender opt to move on to pastures new in the coming months, depending on the fee.
The ex-Hoops star still has two-and-half-years to run on his deal with Keith Andrews side, and has featured in nine of the club’s 11 league games this year, but was subject of a reported £13million offer from Wolfsburg in the summer, who are now contemplating returning with a January offer in order to bolster their defensive options, according to a report from Sky Sports on Thursday morning.