Mika Baur is on the verge of completing a £7m transfer from Paderborn to Celtic, with the 22-year-old playmaker poised to join the Scottish Premiership side after a standout season in Germany's second tier.
Family legacy and career choice
Baur, whose father Marcus was a German handball international who won World and European Championships and claimed an Olympic silver medal in 2004, chose football over handball. The younger Baur has already earned caps for Germany's under-21 side despite not yet playing in the top flight.
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has spent the summer pursuing the midfielder and has finally secured his target. Hoops fans have been told to expect a two-footed player capable of operating anywhere across the middle of the park.
Development and key role at Paderborn
Paderborn fought hard to retain Baur after winning promotion, and coach Ralf Kettemann expressed his disappointment at losing the player. "It hurts both professionally and personally," Kettemann admitted.
Baur, a former Freiburg youth product, emerged as a key figure in Paderborn's promotion campaign, contributing four goals and five assists from a deep-lying role. He started as a winger in his teens before moving into an attacking midfield position. A loan spell at Dynamo Dresden in January 2025 helped him develop defensively, and he returned to take a more defensive role last season, linking defence and attack.
Baur played most of the season as Paderborn finished third in the second tier, securing promotion to the Bundesliga for only the third time in their history via a play-off victory over Wolfsburg.
Coach's praise and player's perspective
Kettemann was full of praise for Baur's development, saying: "My colleague Thomas Stamm, who was his coach at Freiburg, will confirm it – he's simply a fantastic player, a superb footballer. I'm simply a fan, he's a footballer who's fun to watch. He can do something with the ball, he wants it all the time. He turned his passion off the ball up a notch, working defensively incredibly well. I wasn't sure if he could do it, but he can. He can cover ground, he can sprint, he can tackle, he can read the game. I strongly believe that Mika will continue to develop."
Baur himself credited his breakthrough to finding form and confidence, saying: "I don't even know how to explain it. It's the same for every player, once you break through, things just fall into place. When you're having fun, enjoying yourself, able to play without a care in the world, and have the trust of the team, then every player can play freely and showcase their qualities more."
Baur also showed respect for his former loan club, refusing to celebrate when he scored the winner against Dynamo Dresden last season. He explained: "I had a good time here, we got promoted. I know the whole team, the coaching staff. Inside, I was a bit happier than I let on, but that's just how I feel."
