Celtic may have a decision to make regarding the player’s long-term future at Celtic Park

Celtic are back in action on Thursday night with a home clash against FC Utrecht. They then return to Scottish Premiership duties on Sunday against Falkirk. The Hoops are sat in 3rd place in the table after 23 fixtures.

It has been a turbulent season to date at Celtic Park and Martin O’Neill is back in caretaker charge. They drew 2-2 away at league leaders Hearts last time out. Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-Jun got their goals against the Jam Tarts at Tynecastle.

Celtic transfer update emerges regarding Arne Engels

According to Football Insider, Celtic midfielder Arne Engels has ‘no intention’ of forcing through an exit amid links to RB Leipzig. The player has no desire to leave Scotland this winter and isn’t pushing for a departure. He remains under contract in Glasgow until June 2028 meaning he still has a few years left to run down on his deal.

Engels, 22, was snapped up by the Hoops for £11million back in 2024. He has since made 87 appearances in all competitions and has scored 14 goals, four of which have come in this campaign. The Opwijk-born man is a Belgium international with four caps under his belt.

He started his career at Club Brugge and rose up through their academy ranks. Engels was a regular for the Belgian Pro League club at various different youth levels before switching to Augsburg in Germany. He subsequently went on to play 53 matches during his time in the Bundesliga and found the net on three occasions.

What now for Arne Engels at Celtic?

Celtic could ideally do with keeping Engels until the end of this term at least so the fact he intends to stick around is a boost. He gives O’Neill more competition and depth in the middle of the park. They would need to find a replacement if he departed which wouldn’t be easy this close to the end of the window.

After landing him for the Hoops, their former manager Brendan Rodgers said at the time: “We are delighted to bring Arne to Celtic. He is an exciting young player of real quality who has already made his mark at a really high level in the Bundesliga.

"He has a wide range of attributes which will allow him to play a number of positions in midfield, so we feel he is an excellent acquisition for the Club. I think Arne’s style of play, his energy and his technical ability really will suit our game model. While Celtic will always be our priority, it is fantastic, too, that Arne is now receiving full international recognition within a top Belgian squad, something he is very deserving of."

Celtic have slipped down to 3rd in the table behind Rangers after their draw against Hearts. They are six points behind the Jam Tarts and will be frustrated that they weren’t able to beat them in Edinburgh. The Hoops have a big decision to make on who to bring in as their permanent replacement for Wilfried Nancy.