Kristoffer Ajer, the hottest prospect in Norwegian football, is a target for Celtic. Ronny Deila had a scout in attendance as the 17-year-old, who has scored eight times this season, played in relegation-threatened IK Start’s 5-1 defeat at Bodo/Glimt.
An unnamed English club and the French giants Paris St-Germain also watched on as Ajer set up the opening goal for Lars-Jorgen Salvesen after 10 minutes but he was powerless to prevent his side crashing to a heavy loss.
Ajer admitted he was flattered by the interest but added that he would not be drawn on transfer talk with Start in a precarious position.
“Of course it’s fun, but not something I think about. The only thing I think of now is that Start will not be relegated,” said the attacking midfielder, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Malmo head coach Age Hareide has vowed to flush out one of his players after complaining about leaked team news, ahead of facing Celtic next week.
The Parkhead side meet the Swedish side in the Champions League, with the first leg in Glasgow.
But Hareide has admitted he is furious because his team sheets have appeared online hours before the line-ups are made official.
He has pointed the finger at someone in his own team saying it has given the opposition a huge advantage.
He said: “It’s extremely frustrating that my team has leaked out recently, particularly in Europe. I don’t know who is the source of the leaks, but I hope to deal with the problem as soon as possible.”
The controversy did not hinder Malmo’s domestic progress last night, however. Hareide’s side closed the gap on opponents and leaders of IFK Gothenburg, with a 2-1 win. The former Aberdeen man Kari Arnason and one-time West Bromwich Albion striker Markus Rosenberg did the damage before Emil Salomonsson pulled a goal back for Gothenburg near the end.
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