Ambrose on brink of move from Bhoys to Leverkusen

BAYER Leverkusen are poised to swoop for Celtic defender Efe Ambrose — and could even strike a deal before the Nigerian international finally joins up with his team’s pre-season tour of Slovenia and Austria. Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers, who declared after last night’s 1-0 friendly win over Sturm Graz that he wants to give all of his player ‘sore brains’ as they adapt to his new style of play, has yet to see Ambrose in action after ‘visa issues’ left him stuck back in Glasgow. The defender, valued at £1.5million by the Scottish champions, has already been denied permission by Rodgers to play in the Olympics and, if he leaves for the Bundesliga, it will give the new manager a potential shortage at the back heading into their second-round Champions League qualifier. Ambrose’s exit would certainly cause a short-term problem for Rodgers, although he is actively pursuing a number of new defenders, with ex-Liverpool stalwart Kolo Toure and Reading’s Welsh international Chris Gunter among those linked over the weekend. And, singling out Erik Sviatchenko and Norwegian youngster Kristoffer Ajer for praise after yesterday’s win over the

Austrians, he gave the impression of being far from desperate to get Ambrose into his team. ‘Well, having as many players as possible helps,’ said the Northern Irishman (right), when asked about Ambrose’s absence. ‘But the boys who are out here are doing very well. ‘We talk about the aggression in our defending and I was pleased with our corners tonight. ‘We talked about having that bit of steel when we’re under pressure from a set-piece. We defended that well, had good organisation. All round, our central defenders are coping well.’ Ajer was signed by predecessor Ronny Deila as a midfielder but Rodgers has played him at the heart of defence twice, explaining: ‘We’ll see where he fits in. He’s 6ft 5in so I don’t think he’s going to be a right-back! ‘I just see him as a good footballer. At his size, being very comfortable on the ball, once you get that aggression into your game, it’s a position he could play very well.’ Rodgers was also impressed by Sviatchenko but, with Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic injured and Charlie Mulgrew yet to re-sign, he is looking to land a defender ahead of the Champions League qualifiers. ‘Absolutely nothing,’ he said when asked for a transfer update: ‘Not yet. Hopefully, we’ll see by Wednesday.’ Revealing some of the hard mental work going on during this tour, Rodgers said: ‘I’m pretty sure their brains will be sore! If you want to be the best player you can be, you’ve got to be a thinker.’