Celtic’s pursuit of midfield reinforcements has accelerated significantly, with the Scottish champions closing in on one of German football’s brightest young talents this summer.
Martin O’Neill has been reshaping his squad following another successful domestic campaign, with strengthening the engine room identified as a key priority before Champions League qualifiers begin.
Daizen Maeda’s move to Ipswich Town has freed up funds for reinvestment, while the arrivals of Kasper Høgh and Camilo Duran have already added depth to O’Neill’s options.
Arne Engels continues to attract strong interest from clubs across Europe, making the search for midfield reinforcements even more pressing heading into a crucial period.
The man Celtic have identified as their next signing is 22-year-old German midfielder Mika Baur, who has quietly built a strong reputation in German football over recent seasons.
After progressing through Freiburg’s academy, Baur became the youngest goalscorer on his 3. Liga debut for Freiburg II, earning recognition as one of the club’s most promising young players.
His technical quality and versatility convinced SC Paderborn to sign him in 2024, before a loan spell at Dynamo Dresden proved to be a major turning point in his development.
Baur played an important role as Dresden secured promotion, impressing coaches with his ability to operate as both a central and attacking midfielder while improving his work rate out of possession.
Those performances earned him a Germany Under-21 call-up earlier this year, further underlining the belief that he is a player capable of operating at a higher level.
Negotiating with Paderborn has not been straightforward, with sporting director Sebastian Lange publicly stating the club will not accept a fee below their valuation despite Baur entering the final year of his contract.
Celtic’s opening bid was rejected as talks progressed, but the situation has shifted considerably with the Glasgow club making an improved offer worth nearly £4 million including add-ons.
TEAMtalk now reports that Celtic are on the brink of completing a deal for Baur after making significant progress in negotiations with the newly promoted Bundesliga club.
Personal terms have already been agreed with the midfielder, and his representatives have been working in Glasgow to finalise the remaining details of the transfer.
Crucially, Baur has now informed Paderborn directly of his desire to join Celtic, with the German club expected to make a decision to green-light the move within 48 hours.
The prospect of Champions League football is understood to appeal strongly to the player as he evaluates the most important career step of his young career so far.
Should the deal be finalised, Baur would arrive at Celtic Park as exactly the type of signing O’Neill has repeatedly targeted: young, technically gifted, and capable of developing into a genuine first-team star.