Celtic might see bid accepted to signal World Cup star

He proved so very important within the run-in, but Belgian midfielder Arne Engels seems destined to depart Celtic this summer season, having beforehand been the topic of a £25m deadline day provide again in February.

Nottingham Forest have been the suitors on that event, though the Midlands aspect might nicely be trumped by Premier League rivals Sunderland, with each golf equipment now amongst these battling it out for his or her signature.

The grass hasn’t all the time been greener for Celtic’s most notable gross sales lately, be it Matt O’Riley, Jota or Kyogo Furuhashi, but it surely virtually feels inevitable that Engels would be the subsequent marquee departure from Parkhead.

Signed from Augsburg on a club-record £11m deal two years in the past, the 22-year-old has quietly emerged as a key determine in Martin O’Neill’s aspect, guaranteeing he’ll take some changing ought to an exit be on the playing cards.

Celtic might see bid accepted for World Cup midfielder

With O’Neill confirmed as the brand new everlasting supervisor in Glasgow, the onus now’s on considerably strengthening a squad that seems in dire want of reinforcement.

Fortunately, work already seems to be underway on that entrance, with experiences earlier this week indicating that the Hoops have acquired optimistic alerts from Hibernian’s Miguel Chaiwa, with the Zambian stated to be eager on making the swap.

With exits possible for Paulo Bernardo and Reo Hatate, alongside Engels, a number of midfield signings shall be wanted, notably with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s destiny but to be decided.

One potential transfer that might be on the playing cards is for Bosnian star, Ivan Fundamental, with Soccer Insider reporting that Celtic are lining up a transfer for the Astana midfielder.

As per the report, the Scottish champions are possible to have the ability to strike a cut-price deal contemplating that the 24-year-old has simply six months remaining on his contract, with the Kazakh outfit keen to sanction a sale.

The piece means that the Parkhead hierarchy have been protecting tabs on Fundamental for an prolonged interval now, though they might have to ‘transfer rapidly’, not least ought to he impress on the World Cup.

Why Fundamental might be the proper Engels alternative at Celtic

It could really feel a disgrace if Engels have been to depart after simply two seasons in Glasgow, the younger Belgian having actually made a distinction following his return from damage towards the top of final time period.

It was, after all, his spot-kick that dragged O’Neill’s males stage on the ultimate day, one in every of 5 Premiership objectives that he transformed throughout 2025/26.

Fundamental may not have been fairly so medical for Astana of late, though he did begin the 2026 season on robust footing, scoring and helping three objectives in simply ten video games to this point.

The silky left-footer, who can function both as a quantity six or as a quantity eight, additionally showcased his inventive, progressive aptitude, averaging 1.4 key passes per recreation, whereas boasting a stellar 1.7 profitable dribbles per recreation.

For comparability, Engels additionally averaged 1.4 key passes per Premiership outing final time period, though he solely recorded 0.1 profitable dribbles, not precisely providing essentially the most cellular, dynamic choice alongside Callum McGregor.

The place Fundamental additionally has the sting is with regard to his composure in possession and skill to retain the ball, having averaged a 92% go accuracy fee, nicely forward of Engels’ personal 83% go fee.

There may be additionally a lot to love about what the 18-cap Bosnian can provide out of possession too, having recovered 8.1 balls per recreation in Kazakhstan this season, once more far superior to Engels’ personal common of simply two recoveries per Premiership look.

That completeness to his recreation was on full show in his nation’s 1-1 draw with hosts Canada over the weekend, with Fundamental racking up a stellar haul of 5 key passes, regardless of solely truly touching the ball on 32 events.

He additionally accomplished all 5 of his tried crosses and efficiently accomplished 100% of his tried dribbles, having shone alongside fellow Celtic goal, Benjamin Tahirovic, as a part of a midfield two.

If such performances are maintained, O’Neill and co could nicely face elevated competitors for his signature, therefore the necessity to ramp up their bid to signal him.

The possibility to money in on Engels for a bumper charge, earlier than buying an ideal, discount alternative feels virtually too good to disregard, with such a deal set to mark an ideal approach to kick off the summer season at Paradise.