Celtic handed late January setback as fresh twist emerges, Postecoglou will be fuming - opinion

Celtic have been dealt a blow in their bid to secure Albian Ajeti a move away from Parkhead in the January transfer window.

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that FC Basel have informed Celtic that they will not be breaking the bank to sign a new centre-forward this month, despite the club receiving around €14.5m (£12m) plus bonuses from the recent sale of Arthur Cabral.

The report goes on to suggest that this could put the breaks on the Swiss side’s interest in Ajeti, with the Super League club’s sporting director, Philipp Kaufmann, hinting that there may be financial obstacles in the way of his move for the out of favour Celtic centre-forward.

Regarding FC Basel’s interest in the 24-year-old, Kaufmann said: “We have our own financial framework. We need a strong striker who attacks the deep spaces and we need to replace Arthur Cabral as a matter of urgency.”

Considering just how poor Ajeti has been since his £5m move to Celtic Park back in August 2020, the news that the centre-forward’s departure from the club could now be off the cards is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou fuming.

Indeed, over his 20 Premiership appearances during his debut campaign, the £2.25m-rated man scored six goals, provided one assist and created no big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of just 0.7 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 24-year-old earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of just 6.85, ranking him as the Hoops’ joint 12th-worst performer in the Scottish top-flight.

Things have not improved over his seven league outings this season, with the £18k-per-week hitman scoring two goals, registering no assists and creating zero big