Celtic ready to pounce to sign £12m midfielder

Celtic look set to dip into the market to add at least one more central midfield option to their squad amid uncertainty over several of their current players in that position.

Arne Engels is currently being pursued by West Ham United, who have agreed personal terms with the Belgian, but they have yet to meet his £25m valuation.

Meanwhile, Japan international Reo Hatate informed the club earlier this summer that he would be interested in exploring a move away from Glasgow.

One player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead to potentially replace those two players is Paderborn’s Mika Baur, who is keen on a switch to Scotland.

Why Mika Baur is a risky signing for Celtic

The 22-year-old talent would be a risky signing for the Hoops if they pay the fee of more than £4m that the German side are looking for, as he has yet to prove himself in a top-flight league.

Baur played in the 2. Bundesliga for Paderborn in the 2025/26 campaign and helped them to secure promotion back to the big time, in what was his breakout season at senior level.

He had started his career at Freiburg, prior to dropping down the leagues, and only made one appearance in the Bundesliga before they opted to cash in on him.

Whilst he showed promise as an attacking force last term, scoring four goals and providing five assists, it remains to be seen how that would translate to playing in the Scottish Premiership.

The fact that he lost 56% of his ground duels in the 2. Bundesliga is also a concern because it suggests that he may not be suited to the physicality that comes with playing in midfield in Scotland, which is another reason why this deal would come with risk attached.

Celtic preparing bid for a bigger coup than Mika Baur

Meanwhile, the Premiership giants are looking at another potential replacement for Engels who would be an even bigger coup than Baur.

A reporter from Italy claims that Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Torino central midfielder Gvidas Gineitis before the end of the summer transfer window.

The journalist reports that the Hoops are preparing to submit an official offer for the Lithuania international in an attempt to bring him to Parkhead in the coming weeks.

However, he adds that the Serie A outfit want a fee of at least £12m for the 22-year-old talent, which means that they may have to break their £11m transfer record to sign him.

It would immediately be a bigger coup than any deal to sign Baur because he could cost upwards of £8m more than the Germany U21 international, making it a far more substantial financial commitment from the club.

The Lithuanian star would also be a bigger coup than the Paderborn star because he is more established as a top-flight talent in Europe, whilst being the same age as him.

At the age of 22, Gineitis has already racked up 76 appearances in a major European league and been capped 32 times by his country at senior level, whilst Baur has played one top-flight game and is yet to be capped by Germany.

The Torino star showcased his physicality in the Serie A in the 2025/26 campaign, winning 56% of his ground duels and 51% of his aerial battles, which also suggests that he is more likely to handle the physicality of the Premiership than Baur is.

Whilst Gineitis only racked up one assist and failed to score in the Italian top-flight, he did score three goals and create 2.3 chances per game for Lithuania across eight World Cup qualifiers.

On top of that, the 22-year-old talent created two goals in eight games in the European Championship qualifiers and scored one goal in four Nations League matches.

His impressive form at international level suggests that he does have the quality and potential to be an influential attacking player for Celtic, as he can chip in with goals and assists.

Meanwhile, his physical attributes that have shone through in the Serie A show that he can handle himself off the ball, which is why he could be a complete midfielder for the Hoops.

The £12m-rated star, therefore, would be a much bigger coup than Baur for the Scottish giants because of the size of the deal, his experience at the top level, and the all-round quality that he could provide for Martin O’Neill this season.