Celtic are closing in on Mika Baur – but they need to get their hand in their pocket and make it happen.
Celtic appear ready to return with an improved offer for SC Paderborn midfielder Mika Baur, with Spanish journalist Christian Vaquero reporting that negotiations between the clubs have entered what he describes as ‘key hours’, and that Celtic are willing to raise their bid to close the deal immediately.
As reported by 67HailHail, the player himself is not the problem. Baur gave the move his green light a week ago, and personal terms are understood to have been agreed, though Paderborn sporting director Sebastian Lange has previously pushed back on suggestions that everything is settled on the club side. The remaining obstacle is straightforward: Celtic and Paderborn need to agree a fee.
Paderborn rejected an earlier Celtic offer reported to be worth around £4m. That was not enough for a club who have just won promotion to the Bundesliga and are in no position where they feel compelled to accept anything below their own valuation. Celtic either had to come back stronger or walk away. It now looks like they are coming back stronger.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR THE SQUAD
Baur is 22, played 36 times across all competitions last season as Paderborn secured their promotion, and has already broken into the Germany Under-21 set-up. He is not an academy prospect being gambled on – he is a player who has proven himself at senior level and wants to take the next step. Celtic, as a club competing in European football, represent exactly that.
The midfield picture at Parkhead makes this signing more than just a luxury addition. With Arne Engels attracting serious attention from clubs elsewhere – and the broader recruitment challenges this summer already testing the squad’s depth – landing Baur would be a genuine statement of intent in the transfer market rather than a reactive scramble.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed on X that Celtic have reached agreement with Baur on personal terms, with club-to-club talks ongoing. That sequencing – player first, then clubs – is deliberate, and Celtic now need to complete the second part of the equation.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Celtic’s next move is the one that counts. An improved formal bid that meets or approaches Paderborn’s valuation should unlock a deal that everyone bar the German club’s finance department appears to want concluded. Paderborn have leverage as a newly promoted Bundesliga side, but a player in his final contract year who has made his preferences clear is leverage too.
You can track where Baur fits into the full incoming picture on our Celtic completed transfers tracker. Get this done. Mon The Hoops.
