Celtic Sign Mika Baur: A New Playmaker for Champions League

Celtic have moved early and decisively in the final stretch of the summer window, landing highly rated German Under-21 international Mika Baur in a deal worth £4.5 million, rising to a potential £6.8 million with add-ons.

The 22-year-old playmaker arrives from newly promoted Bundesliga side Paderborn on a four-year contract, with an option for a further year, and steps straight into a squad gearing up for a tilt at the UEFA Champions League group stages.

From Paderborn hero to Parkhead stage

Baur played a central role in Paderborn’s promotion push last season, driving the midfield as the club climbed into the Bundesliga. Now he swaps that success story for a different kind of pressure: delivering at a club where winning trophies is not a target, but a demand.

He knows exactly what he’s walking into.

“It's absolutely the right move,” Baur told Celtic’s in-house channel. “It's a great club and I've heard incredible things about the fans. Celtic are the champions. I want to win something, and I think I'm in the right place for it.”

The deal underlines Celtic’s continued focus on young, technically gifted talent from the German market, and Baur did his homework before committing.

Nicolas Kühn’s seal of approval

One phone call helped tip the balance. Baur reached out to former Celtic winger Nicolas Kühn, a fellow client of the same agency and a player who understands both the demands and the rewards of life in Glasgow.

“I'm in the same agency as Nicolas Kühn so I called him to ask a couple of questions and he was so positive,” Baur explained. “He said, if you have the chance, just do it. He couldn't explain it because, he said, you have to feel it, but he told me it was incredible. And after the call with him, I was sure.”

That certainty is matched by his physical readiness. The midfielder arrives on the back of a full pre-season in Germany.

“I've had a good pre-season with good matches and tough training sessions, everything. So I'm in good shape and I'm ready to go.”

Eyes on LASK and the Champions League roar

Timing matters. Baur has been registered in time for Celtic’s Champions League play-off clash with Austrian champions LASK, and the prospect of those nights under the lights has clearly been on his mind for some time.

He already has a reference point.

“I remember a Champions League night against Leipzig,” he said. “I watched it on TV, on the couch at home, and you could feel it and see it, the emotions in the stadium. That's what I'm here for.

“That's why everyone is playing football. You want to play in big stadiums in front of a big crowd. It's different, but I think I'm ready for it. So I'm looking forward to it.”

The leap from watching Celtic Park on a screen to orchestrating play on that pitch could come quickly if he impresses in training.

‘I always leave my heart on the field’

So what exactly are Celtic getting? Baur’s self-portrait will be music to the ears of a support that demands both flair and graft.

He describes himself in simple terms: a playmaker.

“I love to have the ball at my feet, always be there and not be scared to take it,” he said. “I think I'm a player who is a very confident, a good technical player and I always leave my heart on the field.

“Everyone can expect that.”

A confident, ball-hungry creator, arriving in form, with Champions League qualifiers on the horizon and a burning desire to win: Celtic have given their midfield a fresh injection of imagination and energy.

Now the question is not whether Mika Baur is ready for Celtic – it’s how quickly Celtic Park will feel like home.