14 Aug 2026 10:16 BST |
3 min read
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Celtic have finally reached an agreement to sell Arne Engels to West Ham United for a transfer fee of €25.7 million (£22m).
The Hoops have been in talks with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side for several weeks and, as per Sky Sports, a deal has now been struck following lengthy negotiations, with Engels set to become West Ham’s fourth signing of the summer window.
Engels, 22, is due to travel to London to undergo a medical today and he is expected to play a prominent role for West Ham during the upcoming campaign, following the sales of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur and Freddie Potts to Club Brugge.
When the transfer is officially confirmed, Engels will become the most expensive signing in Championship history, eclipsing the €20m fee paid by Ipswich Town for Sindre Walle Egeli last summer. He will also become Celtic’s fourth-highest sale of all time, behind Matt O’Riley, Jota and Kiernan Tierney.
Celtic rebuffed several offers from Nottingham Forest during the January transfer window, including a €29.3m (£25m) bid, but they believe the deal remains excellent business, especially considering Engels is pushing for the move to be completed.
The Belgium midfielder won’t be signed in time to feature against Burnley in West Ham’s first fixture of the new Championship season on Sunday afternoon, but he could make his debut for the club versus Charlton on 22 August.
Who will Celtic sign to replace Arne Engels?
With an added boost of transfer funds at their disposal, Celtic are likely to dip back into the market before Deadline Day, with a new central midfielder likely to be prioritised to replace Engels.
Celtic confirmed the signing of Paderborn star Mika Baur for an initial fee worth a reported €5.3m on Thursday, and they are now expected to intensify their pursuit of Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis.
Meanwhile, The Daily Record report that Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur and Slovan Liberec’s Ermin Mahmic are also on Celtic radar.
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