Newcastle reportedly face competition to sign Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, despite claims a deal was close

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It appears Newcastle face serious competition if they want to sign Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic this sumer.

It had been reported at the weekend that the Magpies were expected to complete a £6million deal this month.

However, a report in the Northern Echo suggests things might not be as simple as that.

They state that Bayer Leverkusen are also interested in the Norwegian.

Ajer’s representatives reportedly held talks with the German side this weekend, and the Northern Echo claim Bayer are ‘increasingly confident’ of snapping him up.

They also have the advantage of being able to reunite Ajer with right-back Jeremie Frimpong.

This would be a serious blow to Newcastle’s early transfer hopes. Concluding a quick deal for Ajer could have been the perfect start to a potentially tricky window. And for £6million, he would have been a bargain.

However, a move to Bayer Leverkusen is surely much more appealing.

Ajer would get the opportunity to play in next season’s Europa League if he joined Bayer. At Newcastle, he’ll likely be fighting relegation.

This transfer saga looked like it was going to end in delight for Newcastle a couple of days ago. It seemed like a sensible signing for a rather cheap fee.

Just two days later and reports suggest that this is a transfer saga that could end in despair for the Magpies. But that’s nothing new, is it?