According to the Athletic, Newcastle have not accepted defeat in their pursuit of signing Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer.
It initially looked like the Norwegian defender was going to be the club’s first acquisition of the summer.
He was praised by former Magpie Lee Clark, who called Ajer an ‘unbelievable professional’.
It was even claimed by the Sunday Mirror in May that a deal was close.
Since then, Newcastle have actually fallen behind in the race to sign Ajer.
Both Norwich and Bayer Leverkusen have moved ahead of the Magpies, with both sides reportedly having £10million bids rejected.
Meanwhile, Newcastle’s pursuit of a new centre back has seen them look elsewhere, with William Saliba linked with arriving on loan from Arsenal.
However, a move for Ajer could still be possible.
Will Newcastle ever complete the signing of Kristoffer Ajer?
The Athletic claim that, while they do face competition, Newcastle haven’t completely given up on bringing Ajer to St James’ Park.
They state that the 23-year-old was Newcastle’s number one defensive target at the start of the summer.
So what’s happened? Are they put off by the price and the competition?
It seems as though Newcastle will have to pay in excess of £10million if they want to sign Ajer.
That might be too much for the Magpies, whose summer is being dictated by the club’s legal battle with the Premier League.
However, this is definitely a signing that Newcastle should look to complete.
While they’re still keen, Norwich have been deterred by Celtic’s demands.
But Ajer is reportedly keen on a move to the Premier League.
If Newcastle can find the cash and reach an agreement with Celtic, this could be a very doable deal.
But when has anything ever been easy when it comes to Newcastle United?
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