Why Leicester City should sign Kristoffer Ajer this summer

According to a report in Football Scotland, Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has shortlisted Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer to replace the outgoing Harry Maguire before the transfer window deadline.

As per the report (h/t Scottish Sun), the Foxes could be looking to pay around £15m for the 21-year-old, who has played under Rodgers when the latter was at the Parkhead.

Ajer has also been targeted by Italian side AC Milan but Leicester are the front-runners to sign him (h/t Football Scotland). He arrived at Celtic in 2017 and has been one of their better defenders for the past couple of seasons.

However, the Norway international could well be tempted by an offer from the Premier League side, partly because of the quality that is on display in the English top-flight.

Here’s why signing Ajer could be ideal for Leicester:

Ajer could be Maguire’s replacement

Kristoffer Ajer is a top-class young defender who prefers to play as a centre-back but is capable of operating at right-back and in defensive midfield. Since his arrival at Celtic, the Norway international has been pretty impressive, to say the least.

He played 45 games in all competitions last season for the Hoops, and was used in each of the positions mentioned above. The best part was him impacting the game positively in each of them.

In terms of attributes, Ajer is a typical modern-day defender who is comfortable playing out from the back, is physically strong, has a good recovery pace to match the runs of the opposition forwards and is a genuine threat from set-pieces because of his height (196cm).

Hence, Leicester City can replace Maguire with Ajer for this season and beyond. The 21-year-old has all the traits to be a successful player under Brendan Rodgers.

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Conclusion

Thus, the Foxes shouldn’t hesitate to fork out the cash to sign Kristoffer Ajer this summer. Not only would he replace Maguire in the team but would also be a long-term option at the back.

Leicester can really target a top-seven finish after the completion of this deal.