Celtic have been told how much they will have to pay to land one of their primary transfer targets this summer. The Bhoys are still playing catch-up with their summer business having struggled to get deals done for much of the off-season.
The club and its people have thrown around excuses surrounding the state of modern football business, but the bottom line is that they have not adequately addressed their squad, which has major needs, and that is before the departure of Arne Engels.
Celtic need at least a couple of midfielders this summer, and one of those being eyed is Mika Baur.
Celtic told Mika Baur asking price
Celtic are still said to be pushing to land Paderborn midfielder Mika Baur, but they have so far come up short with their efforts. The Bhoys are said to have offered £4million, but having won promotion to Bundesliga, Paderborn are standing firm by their asking price.
Baur has been a vital player for Paderborn, winning their Player of the Year award last season, so a sale has to be worthwhile, while also giving the German side the means to find a replacement.
According to Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Celtic are still trying to get Baur on the cheap, but a deal is still very much possible.
"Celtic are trying to get him in as cheap as possible because he's only got one year left on his contract," he said. "Paderborn, obviously, are trying to hold out for the highest asking price they can get, I think of around €5million (£4.3m).
"Celtic have made a couple of offers for him, and I'm sure they're getting closer to bridging that gap to what Paderborn are demanding and what they're willing to pay as well."
Baur was reportedly sick for Paderborn's friendly early in the week, but he returned for their second friendly, against Osnabruck this weekend, and scored.
The midfielder's participation alone will quieten some of the transfer noise, but it's clear that talks are ongoing, and Celtic are in a good position to sign him. But they are going to have to put up the money to strike a deal, and there really isn't much difference between the rejected offer and the asking price.
Are Celtic really overpaying if they offer £300,000 more? They are in desperate need of signings, are likely to welcome £25million for Engels, and they have the Champions League qualifiers in just a couple of weeks.
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