Celtic Signs Midfielder Mika Baur on Four-Year Deal
Celtic have landed their fourth signing of the summer, completing a deal for highly rated midfielder Mika Baur on a four-year contract, with an option for a further season.
The 22-year-old arrives from Paderborn in a move worth around £6.8m after playing a central role in the German club’s promotion to the Bundesliga. He hit four goals and supplied five assists in 33 league games last term, form that earned him Paderborn’s player of the year award.
Transfer Fee: £6.8m
Sky Sports News understand Celtic will pay an initial £4.5m, with a further £2.3m tied up in performance-related add-ons. A significant chunk of those bonuses is linked 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.
Baur, who came through the youth system at Freiburg before moving to Paderborn in 2024, could be thrown straight into the European spotlight. Celtic face LASK Linz in a Champions League play-off next week, and the midfielder is eligible to be registered for the tie.
For Baur, the move felt obvious.
"It's absolutely the right move," he said after signing. "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."
If Baur sounded convinced, so did his new manager. Martin O'Neill made no attempt to hide his satisfaction at getting the deal over the line, especially with Paderborn reluctant to lose a player who helped haul them into the top flight.
"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."
Celtic’s summer rebuild now carries a clear theme: younger, hungry, technically sharp players with resale value and the tools to handle European nights. Baur fits that profile. The question now is how quickly he can turn promise into presence in the middle of a Celtic Park cauldron with the Champions League on the line.
