Ange Postecoglou drops £5m flop Albian Ajeti exit hint as Celtic boss provides transfer update

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed £5m flop signing Albian Ajeti could be one of several fringe players braced for a Parkhead exit this summer.

The Swiss striker has played just 45 minutes against Austrian minnows SC Weiner Viktoria during pre-season before picking up a slight knee injury, which ruled him out of friendlies against Legia Warsaw and Norwich City.

Ajeti, who joined the Hoops from Premier League side West Ham United in August 2020, finds himself out of favour alongside French defender Christopher Jullien and both players could head through the exit door in the coming weeks if a suitable solution is found.

Centre-back Jullien has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Aussie but he failed to agree personal terms with Bundesliga new boys Schalke earlier this month and continues his search for a new club.

Asked for an update on Ajeti’s future, Postecogou revealed: “He has a knee problem but trained in Glasgow when we were over in Poland.

“We will see what happens. There’s still time in this window and there will be some movement.

“We’ve been active bringing players in and we’ve probably shifted the dial to now be agile. We’ll be ready to go either way.”

Reo Hatate missed the match against Blackburn Rovers earlier this month due to illness but the Japanese midfielder looked back to his best in Poland and against the Canaries.

The 24-year-old spoke openly about feeling severly fatigued towards the end of last season after joining Celtic in the January transfer window on the back of playing a full season in the J-League.

Postecoglou believes 18 months of non-stop football combined with a well-earned summer break will turn out to be a positive for Hatate in the long-run.

He admitted: “Reo needed a break but at the same time I think working through that difficult period last year was god for him.

“It built resilience into him and he feels fresh now. He had a little bit of a setback before the Blackburn game and missed a few days of training.

“But he’s made up for that and I thought he looked really bright in Poland.”

Meanwhile, on loan Lorient centre-back Moritz Jenz is a doubt for Sunday’s Premiership opener against Aberdeen.

The German has reportedly sustained a knock in training and may be forced to wait a little longer to make his competitive debut.