Celtic have signed Germany Under-21 midfielder Mika Baur from Paderborn for an undisclosed fee, with manager Martin O’Neill praising the Scottish champions’ “perseverance” in pursuing the 22-year-old.
Baur, who has signed a four-year contract with the option of a further 12 months, helped Paderborn end a six-year absence from the Bundesliga as they finished third in the second tier last season.
“Mika’s club in Germany were very keen to keep him, which I fully understand, as he played such an important role in their Bundesliga promotion,” O’Neill told his club website.
“But I am really pleased with the perseverance and commitment we have shown to secure his signing.”
Salem-born Baur had joined Paderborn from Freiburg, where he played for their second string, two years ago.
He made 36 appearances last season, including their play-off win over Wolfsburg, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
“He is a player with some excellent attributes, great technical ability,” O’Neill said. “He will be important in linking our play and he has real versatility too.”
Paderborn sporting director Sebastian Lange told his club website: “As a key player from our promotion season, we would have loved to keep Mika.
“When he expressed his desire to move to Glasgow Celtic, we didn’t want to stand in his way, even with less than a year remaining on his contract.
“We intend to use this very favourable financial solution to further strengthen our squad before the end of the transfer window.”