CELTIC target Mika Baur has NEVER kicked a ball in top-flight football.
Just over a year and a half ago, the central midfielder was playing in the Bundesliga third tier on loan at Dynamo Dresden.
Baur joined on January 17 2025 after his club, SC Paderborn, negotiated a temporary transfer fee of £42,800.
The playmaker returned to his parent club at the end of the season and contributed four goals – one a penalty-kick – and five assists in his 32 starts in 33 appearances as the club achieved promotion to the Bundesliga.
The Rhine-based team have only been involved in the German top flight twice before – in seasons 2014/15 and 2019/20. They were relegated both times after just one campaign.
They perform at the 15,000-capacity Home Deluxe Stadium and they kick off their third stint in the elite set-up at Mainz on Saturday August 29.
WANTED MAN…midfield ace Mika Baur.
Baur, who turned 22 earlier this month, has made one outing at international level for the Under-21 team.
This is the same Mika Baur for whom Celtic are prepared to pay £4million, but Paderborn’s sporting director Sebastian Lange insisted he is not interested at doing business in that price range and, reacting to reports the player had already agreed a deal with the champions, retorted: “It’s nonsense. I have no idea where this stuff comes from.”
It has been reported that there is a discrepancy of £300,000 between the valuations of the clubs.
Celtic fans may be puzzled as to why the cash-rich champions would lose out on a talented performer for such a meagre sum in today’s crazy transfer market.
I am informed Paderborn’s bosses are looking for considerably MORE for a player who has yet to prove himself at the highest level.
How much more, I don’t know, but I could hazard a guess of something in the region of seven figures plus several hefty add-ons.
The fee may begin to look less appealing as the German club’s hierarchy play hardball with their property whose terms expire in less than a year and is free to negotiate a pre-contract in January.
Baur was missing from his team’s matchlist for the bounce game against Southampton during the week. Apparently, he had a cold.
Read into that what you will.
Whether he is involved in another warm-up game at Osnabruck tomorrow afternoon remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Sky Sports continue to inform us: “Baur is keen to join the Scottish champions and is awaiting an agreement between the clubs, so he can travel.”
It must be hoped there is an outbreak of commonsense sometime soon.
If a middle ground cannot be found between the clubs and a settlement reached, the newly-promoted side could be left with an unhappy player on their staff.
That’s hardly an advantageous situation going into a season in which success will be measured by survival, something the club have failed to achieve on the previous two occasions of mixing with the big boys.
The Parkhead powerbrokers can’t be held to ransom and will believe they have made a fair offer for a performer who has yet to prove himself on a more elevated level.
Champions League football at Paderborn is as likely as finding hidden treasure in your bath water.
Baur is being denied that opportunity by the club he helped to promotion and the riches of the Bundesliga, even if it is only for one campaign.
We are informed talks are still ongoing. The transfer deadline is September 3.
Is there any possibility of a resolution before then?
We can only hope.
But you know what they say about commonsense, don’t you?
Alas, it’s not that common.
ALEX GORDON
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