Celts move closer to clinching Ajeti deal
CELTIC are closing in on a deal to land West Ham hitman Albian Ajeti.
Hoops boss Neil Lennon is back in talks with the Swiss striker as he bids to get a striker in for the start of the Champions League campaign.
Lennon, who saw frontman Vakoun Bayo head to France to finalise his move to Toulouse, admitted he is also still in talks with Steven Fletcher.
But Ajeti has shot to the top of his wish list after coming back to the table
with Celtic. The former Basel forward was keen on a move to Parkhead last week but asked for more time to weigh up his future amid interest from clubs in England and on the continent.
But Lennon hopes Ajeti is now ready to commit to the Scottish champions as they edge closer to the crucial Champions League showdowns – with the draw for the early rounds being held tomorrow and Monday ahead of the clashes later this month.
Lennon is keeping his transfer cards close to his chest and said: “I am not aware of how close we are in doing that [Ajeti deal]. I know talks are ongoing.
“That’s my position at the minute, it may or may not happen, as is the case with a lot of deals we are trying to negotiate.
“I am pretty sure that Bayo is going to join Toulouse on loan.
“It would be good to get a couple more bodies and obviously you can name them in the UEFA line-up as well.
“As a manager you do have your preferences but sometimes you maybe don’t get your No.1 option. So it’s important to have four or five of a similar ilk to go to.
“Nothing is ever cut and dried until you get the player in the building and get them signed on the dotted line.
“There’s a mountain of work going on in the background on a number of players in a number of positions.”
Lennon wants to bolster his attacking options with Bayo set to seal his exit after failing to make the grade in an injury-hit 18 months at Parkhead.
Celtic have already snapped up £4.5million keeper Vasilis Barkas and the Hoops manager admitted he could be pitched in for a debut against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park tomorrow.
He said: “He’s had a good week’s training so we’ll make a decision on that in the next 24 hours.
“Going to Rugby Park, it will be – I wouldn’t say an eye-opener for him, but certainly a bit different.
“Obviously there will be no fans plus the artificial pitch. So we’ll need to make sure he’s as well prepared as possible by kick-off time in terms of the conditions and circumstances he’ll face.”
Lennon admitted he’s not scouted the potential first-round rivals his men could land in tomorrow’s Champions League draw.
But he’s hoping to come out the hat with a home tie as Celts gear up for potentially three one-off ties before the two-legged play-off clash to get to the group stages.
Lennon said: “I haven’t had a look. I’ve just been focusing on the players this week and obviously the opposition for the weekend.
“We’ll see what the draw brings. Hopefully it will be one we can negotiate well.
“It would be great to get the home draw. The familiarity with the home draw and the environment – fingers crossed that in a one-legger we get that.”
Scotland will have two clubs in the Champions League qualifiers from next season after the Old Firm both remained in Europe until after Christmas last season – and the league winners will bypass the first two rounds of qualifying.
Lennon welcomed the rise up the rankings and said: “It’s a step in the right direction. It shows we’ve made progress in Europe over the past couple of years to the benefit of the champions at the end of the season.
“The qualifying rounds are always tense and fraught with danger. They’re very difficult to negotiate but it would be brilliant if we could achieve that.
“It’s something we’ll be focusing on game by game as they come really early.
“But we’ve had a decent pre-season and good start to the season. Now we’re looking to build on that.
“It’s great to have two berths now rather than just one.”