Anthony Joseph has confirmed that Celtic have stalled on their attempts to sign Mika Baur.
The Sky Sports News reporter is always in the Celtic transfer loop and rarely shares bad news.
Two months on from the Scottish Cup Final win over Dunfermline Celtic have only added one player, Camilo Duran to their squad.
Since the home draw with Middlesbrough there has been a burst of upbeat positive news sent out to concerned fans.
Unfortunately that creates expectations.
Against AC Milan on Saturday it looks very likely that there won’t be any more new signings alongside Duran.
Having agreed personal terms to sign Duran earlier in the week one vital stage remained.
Alas that task is proving to be one too many for Michael Nicholson. The football CEO who can’t deal with agents.
Celtic are still to meet Paderborn’s valuation for Mika Baur, according to our colleagues @SkySportDE.
Paderborn would rather let the 22yo go for free next summer, than sell for below their price tag.
They’re not under pressure to sell and won’t unless their valuation is met. https://t.co/aSHRmXWcgi pic.twitter.com/QDQqiEhLRF
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) July 23, 2026
Should Celtic manage to complete a deal for Baur he won’t be able to play in any pre-season matches.
THE LOST PRE-SEASON AT CELTIC
Celtic started pre-season training on June 26, their fourth and final friendly in on July 25.
An opportunity wasted. Only Duran has been added to last season’s squad. O’Neill has had virtually no opportunity to implement his new playing style.
Celtic are nine days away from the SPFL opener at home to Dundee. Either 14 or 15 days later they face a Champions League Play Off. Against a club that has already gone through at least qualifying tie.
Last season Kairat Almaty got through three qualifiers before facing Kairat in the Play Off tie.
Celtic will go into the Play Off on the back of two SPFL matches and a seeded League Cup tie.
Meanwhile Nicholson continues to hide. He hasn’t spoken to Celtic TV since December 17, discussing the assault on three employees after the League Cup Final.
Brian Unity Wilson’s last Supporters Update was on June 11. He promised a very active time strengthening the Celtic squad.
Over the weekend O’Neill will be dishing out excuses on behalf of the failings of his trusted executives.
Their modus operandi has made the club a laughing stock and a pariah to the rest of the football business, stop giving them your money or you are complicit in the destruction of our club
MN is probably as big a narcissist as DD.
He is incapable of objective discussion or bartering.
He will simply view everyone else as wrong or trying to screw him over and that only makes a narcissist all the more determined to be proven right.
MN is entirely the wrong person to be dealing with transfers either in or out.
Unfortunately he will always think he’s the smartest guy in the room….which means he’s disadvantaged from the off.
As has been the norm for a number of years now, best we’ve got out for profit, but always at the last moment, not prepared to spend until this money comes in, hence all the squirrels till the cash comes in, which in turn gives the manager and squad no time to gel prior to a 40m winner takes all qualifier.
Get these b#%tards the f#%k outta our club!
I am very near total disengagement with the club I love due to utter incompetence or slavery to a system that clearly damages Celtic.