Kristoffer Ajer arrived at Celtic from IK Start in 2016.
The Norwegian side will receive a sell-on clause from the defender’s future sale, which has been confirmed by their former director Even Øgrey Brandsdal.
“When we sold him, we were in a very tight financial situation and that made the negotiations extra special,” Øgrey Brandsdal told VG.
“From the first moment we saw that Ajer was very special, and if anyone was to start playing in the big leagues it just had to be him. At that time, we needed capital, but we also had to think long-term about any resale.”
Øgrey Brandsdal believes Celtic could be set to cash-in on Ajer, and that would be good news for Start.
“Celtic have been known to develop players. I would be surprised if they let him run down his contract. I suppose they want a return on him,” he explained.
According to VG, Start retain a 10 percent sell-on clause on Ajer’s future sale.
If the centre-back decides to change clubs this summer, it would come as a financial lifeline for his former side. That’s because Start owner Robin Reed has admitted the club could run out of money in June.
“We did not count Ajer’s sell-on clause in our forecasts, but it is of course very welcome, especially if the fee is in the order of magnitude it is speculated [around €20m],” Start’s current general manager Christopher MacConnacher said.
The Celtic centre-back changed agents at the start of this month and is now represented by SEG. This has also been confirmed by Ajer’s father, Jan Tore Ajer to VG.
Four days ago, Corriere dello Sport reported the centre-back’s current representatives are ‘knocking on the door of many clubs’, and AC Milan are ‘one of the most interested’.
