We may only be a couple of days into June, but transfer rumour season is very much upon us. It is still unknown who will be Celtic manager come the start of August, keeping Martin O'Neill or appointing Robbie Keane the seemingly two most-likely outcome. Whoever is in charge, expect plenty of ins and outs at Parkhead in the coming months.
Firstly, could the Celts' club-record signing move on to pastures new? Well, as reported by self- proclaimed transfer specialist Sacha Tavolier, Arne Engels is attracting plenty of interest.
"Arne Engels on the move... recently joined DWMA football agency and wants to take the next step in his career after Celtic FC. Several Premier League & Serie A clubs, including AC Milan, are monitoring the situation."
Tavolier notes that Engels has recently changed agency, now on board with DWMA, who have Noah Sadiki, Wesley Fofana, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Nicolas Raskin of Rangers among their high-profile clients. Engels joined Celtic two summers ago from Augsburg for a club-record £11 million, brought into replace Matt O'Riley, meaning it would require a sizeable fee to take him away from the Hoops. On the winter window deadline day in February earlier this year, Celtic rejected a £25 million offer from Nottingham Forest, suggesting they would be looking for even more than that.
Thus, why now would selling Engels be the smart decision? Well, since he joined the club, the Belgian has racked up 98 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals and accumulating 21 assists. He ranked highly when compared to his teammates across the board this season.
Arne Engels 2025/26 Celtic statistics
Statistics | Arne Engels | Celtic rank |
|---|---|---|
Minutes | 3,100 | 8th |
Goals | 7 | 5th |
Assists | 8 | 4th |
Big chances created | 13 | 2nd |
Key passes per game | 1.4 | 4th |
Note: Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt & SofaScore.
Only Daizen Maeda created more big chances than Engels last season, while he also ranked fourth in terms of assists as well as key passes per 90. After returning from a thigh issue, the Belgian started all five post-split fixtures, as well as the Scottish Cup semi and final, all wins, as the Celts salvaged a double. Thus, it is clear that he is a member of the Hoops' strongest lineup, but a move may be best for all involved.
Right now, following a strong finish the campaign, Engels' price tag is pretty high and, when Celtic are operating at their most effective best, they know to sell when a player hits peak value. He has also not lived up to the sky-high expectations placed upon him when he arrived. He has been in and out of the team at various points, not matching the levels achieved by predecessor O'Riley.
From the midfielder's point of view, there is little else left for him to achieve in Scotland, while moving to a club at a higher level can only enhance his international career. Engels has not been called up by Belgium since November 2024, overlooked by both Domenico Tedesco and now current head coach Rudi Garcia, who has instead selected the aforementioned Raskin of Rangers.
Thus, a move to the Premier League or a Serie A giant such as AC Milan, feels like the next step in this 22 year old's development. As already mentioned, Celtic will need to a major rebuild this summer, so cashing in on Engels early and having some money to work with feels like a sensible strategy.
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