There’s likely to be a completely different look to this Celtic side by the time the window is out, with something of a squad overhaul on the cards at Parkhead.
Kasper Schmeichel has called time on his playing career, while there won’t be a return for either Marcelo Saracchi or Kelechi Iheanacho, the latter now lining up in the green and white of Bursaspor.
Uncertainty also surrounds the futures of Alistair Johnston, Arne Engels, Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate, albeit with the headline departure set to be talismanic forward, Daizen Maeda, amid his imminent move to Ipswich Town.
The spine of Martin O’Neill‘s title-winning team looks to be being ripped up, but what of the captain, can the champions really afford to lose Callum McGregor too?
Why Celtic must keep Callum McGregor this summer
The decision to change to a Dubai-based agent this summer has ramped up the speculation surrounding the Hoops skipper, with reunions with the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou in the Middle East having been floated in recent weeks.
|
McGregor – Celtic Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manager |
Games |
Goals (Assists) |
|
Rodgers |
264 |
38 (38) |
|
Lennon |
102 |
17 (23) |
|
Postecoglou |
94 |
9 (8) |
|
Deila |
64 |
11 (11) |
|
O’Neill |
33 |
2 (3) |
|
Nancy |
8 |
0 (1) |
|
Kennedy |
8 |
0 (0) |
|
Strachan |
2 |
0 (0) |
|
Total |
575 |
77 (84) |
O’Neill was keen to stress that he hasn’t received any indication as yet that the long-serving midfielder wishes to leave, suggesting that it would be a “bad blow” if McGregor does pursue a final payday elsewhere.
“He hasn’t hinted to me he wants to leave at this minute. That would be a bad blow. But sometimes money is a big thing, particularly when you’re past 30. “I will have a chat with him. He hasn’t brought it up at this moment, so maybe if he doesn’t speak to me, it’ll be all right.
“But if he does, I will tell him that we want him at the football club. But obviously if something comes in that is just mind-boggling for him, that becomes a different issue.”
The academy graduate is still contracted until 2028 and did outline his intention to see out his career in Glasgow back in April, provided that the club “keep pushing”, rather than merely standing still.
Recent transfer dealings don’t exactly speak of a club ‘pushing’ on, although regardless, Celtic need the 33-year-old to stay desperately. He’s the standard-bearer, the tempo-setter, a man who’s been a mainstay for 12 years now in the first team.
Even last term against lower league side Auchinleck Talbot, O’Neill still played the ex-Scotland star for 80 minutes, a sign that this team simply can’t function without him.
It’s not a case then of replacing McGregor, but instead finding something which has long been needed at Parkhead – a suitable understudy.
£4m McGregor successor now pushing to join Celtic this summer
The Hoops are still waiting to add a second signing after Camilo Duran’s recent arrival, with talk of a return for Kyogo Furuhashi having been swiftly shot down by the Japanese striker’s move to LA Galaxy.
The Premiership giants could finally find what they’ve been looking for in the striker department by reviving interest in January target, Kasper Hogh, the Bodo/Glimt man set to cost in the region of £7m.
Elsewhere, meanwhile, the likely exit of Engels has opened up the door to a midfield incoming, with CeltsAreHere reporting that talks are taking place regarding a £4m deal for Paderborn’s Mika Baur.
The 22-year-old is said to be pushing to make the move, and while the German outfit aren’t keen to sell, the fact he has just a year left on his contract may force their hand.
Celtic are said to view the young playmaker as someone who can operate as both a number eight and a number six, even while having operated as a left-winger on occasion in recent times.
That versatility and flexibility certainly mirrors McGregor in his pomp, the one-time Notts County loanee first emerging as a more attack-minded asset during his time in England, having scored 14 goals in 41 games in 2013/14 while largely operating on the flanks.
His Celtic breakthrough under Ronny Deila also came in a more advanced role, with the skipper since transitioning into the midfield metronome that has been at the centre of this team for a number of seasons now.
Baur, a Germany U21 international, looks to be cut from a similar cloth, with his current record for Paderborn standing at ten goals and assists in just 44 games in all competitions, having previously racked up 13 goals and assists in 61 games for Freiburg’s second team.
The £4m man doesn’t exactly have a wealth of first-team experience behind him, but there’s plenty to be encouraged by, having helped the German outfit secure promotion to the Bundesliga last season via the playoffs.
In all, Baur started 32 games in Bundesliga.2 across 2025/26, scoring and assisting nine goals while creating three ‘big chances’. Perhaps most impressively, he also averaged 1.5 key passes per game, mirroring McGregor at his best as someone who always seeks to make that probing forward pass between the lines.
In Postecoglou’s first season at the helm in 2021/22, for instance, McGregor averaged 1.4 in that regard, while also chipping in defensively with an average of 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game, just below Baur’s recent average of 2.4 for that same metric.
The young German is another progressive, combative and classy midfield operator, likely to freshen up a midfield unit that has lacked any sense of spark or energy of late.
Of course, the hope will be that McGregor shuns the Saudi riches to stay put, although either way, Celtic might well have found the midfield successor that the club have been crying out for.
