Celtic Signs German Midfielder Mika Baur on Four-Year Deal
Celtic have landed their fourth signing of the summer, sealing a four-year deal for German midfielder Mika Baur in a move that underlines the club’s Champions League ambition.
The 22-year-old arrives from Paderborn in a transfer worth around £6.8m, after driving the club’s promotion push from the 2. Bundesliga to the Bundesliga last season. He finished the campaign with four goals, five assists and, crucially, the club’s player of the year award. Paderborn wanted to build their top-flight return around him. Celtic persuaded him otherwise.
Sky Sports News understand the Scottish champions will pay an initial £4.5m, with a further £2.3m in performance-related add-ons. A significant slice of those bonuses is tied to Celtic reaching the league phase of the Champions League, mirroring the structures used in the deals for fellow summer recruits Camilo Duran, Kasper Høgh and Haissem Hassan.
For Celtic, it’s a clear pattern: back young, upwardly mobile players and align their incentives with Europe’s biggest stage.
Baur, who came through the academy at Freiburg before moving to Paderborn in 2024, could be thrown straight into that environment. Celtic face LASK Linz in a Champions League play-off next week, and the midfielder is eligible to be registered for the squad.
On signing for the Scottish champions, Baur made no attempt to play down the scale of the move.
“It’s absolutely the right move,” he said. “It’s a great club and I’ve heard incredible things about the fans.
“I’m in the same agency as Nicolas Kuhn so I called him to ask a couple of questions and he was so positive. He said, if you have the chance, just do it.
“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.”
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes he has secured a midfielder who can knit his team together as the season’s demands grow.
“I am delighted that we have been able to bring Mika to Celtic,” O’Neill said. “He is a player with some excellent attributes, great technical ability, he will be important in linking our play and he has real versatility too.
“Having spoken to Mika, I can see the appetite he has for the challenges here at Celtic and I am sure he will be another great addition to the squad.
“Mika’s club in Germany were very keen to keep him, which I fully understand, as he played such an important role in their Bundesliga promotion, but I am really pleased with the perseverance and commitment we have shown to secure his signing.”
The deal adds another sharp, ambitious profile to a Celtic side trying to secure their place at Europe’s top table. Now the question is simple: will Baur’s next big step coincide with Celtic’s?
