Celtic seem to be going from strength to strength on the pitch as they looked on course to complete a domestic treble once again prior to the suspension of the football season.

Neil Lennon has continued the fine work of Brendan Rodgers and arguably has taken the team to the next level with the signing of Christopher Jullien and the form of 27-goal Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer.

However, a spanner has been thrown into the works by the agent of the latter, who came out publicly at the end of last week to state that his player would not be signing a new contract and would look to leave in the summer, despite Ajer’s current deal expiring in 2022.

The Celtic boss was unsurprisingly left disgruntled by such a development, and made it clear that Ajer would only be leaving on the club’s terms, which indicates that a summer move could be unlikely.

Nevertheless, should interest arise because of the agent’s statement, which it may, then Celtic could have a fight on their hands to keep Ajer at the club.

Here’s what our Football FanCast writers had to say about that possibility, and whether it is an option the Bhoys should consider.

Matt Dawson

“To me, Kristoffer Ajer is replaceable and certainly, if Celtic miss out on the Champions League, they’d be wise to let him go. The Hoops reportedly offered the Norwegian £25k a week to remain at Parkhead but he wasn’t willing to accept. With that in mind, they’d be making a sensible decision by getting him off their books despite his immense potential. 

“The player’s agent has made it clear he’ll leave and continuing to wait will only decrease his transfer value as he gets closer to the expiry date on his current contract with the Bhoys. Ajer is one of the most sellable assets and as was proven last summer, they’re more than capable of replacing those who have shone at the back. Take Filip Benkovic, for example. The Leicester defender returned to the Premier League following his loan move but they brought in Christopher Jullien to take his place. Since arriving, he’s become an imperative figure and scored seven goals in the process.

“In this case, Celtic shouldn’t stand in Ajer’s way.”

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Charles Jones

“There’s no point in keeping a player who doesn’t want to be there.

“His agent hasn’t just said this for no reason, and if Ajer wants to go, Celtic should let him leave.

“At 21 he may have a bright future in the game, but his potential is there for all to see and this may be the best time to cash in on him.

“It’s sad that he wants to go, but Celtic have won plenty of league titles without the centre-back at the club, and they’ll continue to be successful if he leaves.

“There’s no point holding a player to ransom, and although it’s a shame, he should probably be on his way out of Celtic Park this summer.”

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Harry Sherlock

“This is the economic reality facing Celtic. Ajer is a top-class player and is a vital cog in Neil Lennon’s machine. He has already made 49 appearances this season. 

“But when it comes to a player wanting to leave to pursue a challenge in another league, there is very little they can do to convince them to stay. 

“Think back to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, and Kieran Tierney; all moved onto bigger and, arguably, better things after developing at Celtic. 

“While they are giants in the context of Scottish football, they could be seen as relative minnows when compared to the teams in the Premier League. It is little surprise that Ajer may see his future away from the club; he has won the SPFL twice already. 

“If a Premier League club come knocking, Celtic simply don’t have the option to say no.”

Kealan Hughes

“While Celtic have displayed their usual domestic dominance, they once again disappointed in Europe, exiting the Champions League at the qualification stage while defeat to Copenhagen saw them knocked out of the Europa League in the first round of the knock-out stage.

“To improve on such an underwhelming display they need to hang on to quality players such as Ajer, who has been ever-present at the back this year under Neil Lennon for the first time, making 28 league starts compared to 18 last season.

“His age means he is only likely to get better, too, and it is time the Glasgow outfit took a stand and hung on to their best players when a big club comes calling.

“Letting an agent possibly dictate matters would be even worse because of the message it sends out, and that means the club should stick by whatever decision Lennon wants to make.”

Meanwhile, Neil Lennon was very vocal at the weekend when speaking out about an important player development…