Ex-Celtic striker Chris Sutton has urged defender Kristoffer Ajer to stay at the Scottish champions and continue his development under manager Neil Lennon.

There has been growing speculation that the Norwegian international is angling for a move away from the club this summer, with the likes of AC Milan, Leicester and Arsenal having been linked in recent weeks.

Sutton feels Ajer should ignore the temptation to leave Celtic Park, and try and emulate a former Hoops star, Virgil van Dijk, who went on to thrive at Liverpool:

“It’s important to move when he is ready and not when his agent is. He’s not at the level van Dijk was at when he left. Ajer seems a bright boy 
so it’s important he controls his agent and not the other way around.”

As Sutton mentions, with Ajer having changed his agent, the writing does appear to be on the wall. There has been speculation that Lennon is resigned to losing the 22-year-old, with reports claiming that the club have set a £20m asking price.

With Ajer still having two years left on his contract, though, Celtic do still hold all the cards in deciding the centre-back’s future.