CELTIC will have to go back to the drawing board in their bid for midfielder Mika Baur.
The 22-year-old playmaker’s club, newly-promoted Bundesliga side SC Paderborn, are refusing to budge on their asking fee – believed to be in the £4.3million region – for their hottest property, as CQN warned last week.
Sporting director Sebastian Lange insists the Hoops will not get Mika Baur on the cheap as an offer of £4million was booted out by the German outfit.
Reacting to local media reports that Baur, who has one year left on his contract, had already agreed a deal with the champions, he said: “It’s nonsense. I have no idea where this stuff comes from.
“Have there been offers for players during this transfer window? Yes. Are there offers right now? No. Why not? Because we rejected them all.
“There are sporting and financial reasons for this.
ROARING SUCCESS…Kasper Hogh is on the way.
“Ultimately, we decide what is of interest to us. And everything that came in was, from a financial standpoint, of no interest to us whatsoever.
“We didn’t have to think twice during this transfer window.”
The club chief, speaking in a report in the Scottish Sun, added: “Our job remains to stay calm.
“We are certainly noticing right now that the transfer rumour mill is starting to heat up.
“And that’s only going to increase. We have a long, intense period ahead of us.
“We are under no pressure to sell.”
As Celtic prepare to unveil £11million-plus Kasper Hogh as their second summer arrival, the ball is back in their court.
Martin O’Neill has already stated the squad requires reinforcements and there is still transfer speculation surrounding Arne Engels and Reo Hatate, with both players linked to English clubs.
If one – or both – leave before the August 3 deadline, the Hoops will urgently need to strengthen their midfield options.
They may be prompted into making a new and improved offer for Baur.
Watch this space!
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