Celtic Sign Midfielder Mika Baur for £4.5 Million
Celtic have moved early and decisively in the final stretch of the summer window, landing German Under-21 international Mika Baur in a deal worth £4.5 million, rising to a potential £6.8m with add-ons.
The 22-year-old midfielder arrives from newly promoted Bundesliga side Paderborn and has signed a four-year contract, with Celtic holding an option for a further year. A key figure in Paderborn’s promotion campaign, he now swaps that success story for the demands of a club expected to win every week.
From Paderborn’s rise to Celtic’s glare
Baur was central to Paderborn’s surge into the Bundesliga last season, pulling strings in midfield as the club forced its way back into Germany’s top flight. That momentum has carried him to Glasgow, where the expectations are very different but the stage is far bigger.
Now he walks into a dressing room of champions, tasked with adding craft and composure to a Celtic side chasing more domestic silverware and a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
“It’s absolutely the right move,” Baur told Celtic’s in-house channel after signing. “It’s a great club and I’ve heard incredible things about the fans. Celtic are the champions. I want to win something, and I think I’m in the right place for it.”
The decision, he admits, didn’t come in isolation.
A call to Kuhn – and instant clarity
Before committing, Baur turned to someone who knows the club and the city well: former Celtic favourite Nicolas Kuhn.
“I’m in the same agency as Nicolas Kuhn so I called him to ask a couple of questions and he was so positive,” Baur explained. “He said, if you have the chance, just do it. He couldn’t explain it because, he said, you have to feel it, but he told me it was incredible. And after the call with him, I was sure.”
One phone call. No second thoughts. For a player at 22, it’s a bold move, but one made with conviction.
Baur also arrives sharp. His pre-season work in Germany has him ready to step straight into contention.
“I’ve had a good pre-season with good matches and tough training sessions, everything. So I’m in good shape and I’m ready to go.”
Eyes on LASK and the roar of Celtic Park
The timing of the transfer is no accident. Baur is registered in time for Celtic’s Champions League playoff against Austrian champions LASK, a tie that will shape the early narrative of the season.
And it’s those European nights that have been tugging at him from afar.
“I remember a Champions League night against Leipzig,” he said. “I watched it on TV, on the couch at home, and you could feel it and see it, the emotions in the stadium. That’s what I’m here for.
“That’s why everyone is playing football. You want to play in big stadiums in front of a big crowd. It’s different, but I think I’m ready for it. So I’m looking forward to it.”
The image is clear: a young playmaker on a sofa in Germany, watching Celtic Park explode under the lights, now preparing to walk into that same noise with the ball at his feet.
What Celtic are getting
Baur doesn’t shy away from describing his own game. He calls himself what Celtic supporters will hope to see: a playmaker.
“I love to have the ball at my feet, always be there and not be scared to take it,” he said. “I think I’m a player who is very confident, a good technical player and I always leave my heart on the field.
“Everyone can expect that.”
Celtic have bought a midfielder who wants responsibility, wants the ball, and wants the heat of big occasions. The fee, the contract length, the timing before Europe – all of it points to a club that sees him not as a project on the fringes, but as a live option for the here and now.
The next step is simple and brutal: prove it, under the lights, in green and white.
