Celtic 'braced' for another West Ham United transfer bid for star as Hammers rake in £10m for latest departure
Hoops maestro has already agreed personal terms with the East Londoners
Celtic are reportedly bracing themselves for another bid for Arne Engels from English giants West Ham - who’ve just sold midfielder Freddie Potts for £10m.
The Hammers have already seen two bids rejected for midfielder Engels but are expected to come back with an improved offer in the near future. Celtic also rejected a bid from Nottingham Forest for the 22-year old in January worth up to £25m and are still looking for a fee around that mark. The Belgian still has two years left on his Parkhead deal.
Manager Martin O’Neill is hoping to hold onto him for the Champions League play-off qualifier against LASK Linz later this month, but West Ham are looking to get the deal over the line as soon as possible. Having sold Potts to Belgian champions Club Brugge for £10m, they’ll now need more cover in this area. Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo is looking to instantly regain Premier League status after last season’s relegation. Following the combined £145m departures of midfielder Mateus Fernandes and winger Crysencio Summerville, the Irons have already have plenty of financial resources.
Celtic ‘braced’ for another Hammers bid
The Sun report that Celtic are ‘braced’ for another Engels bid from West Ham - and that the money they’ve earned for Potts will go towards an improved offer. The Championship side will get their season underway this weekend against Portsmouth in the EFL Cup, before league duty restarts on August 16 against fellow-relegated side Burnley.
Celtic have already identified potential replacement candidates for Engels - who started in their SPFL Premiership opening 1-0 win against Dundee. Paderborn’s Mika Baur has been given the green light to leave the German side this summer amid Hoops interest. Gvidas Gineitis of Torino also remains on their radar after a strong season in Serie A.
Also potentially heading for the Parkhead exit door is defensive mainstay Alistair Johnston. Everton are sizing up a bid for the Canada international after impressing in the World Cup for Canada. The 27-year old has won nine major trophies with Celtic since signing from Montreal in 2023.
O’Neill hopes to retain stars for Champions League showdown
When asked if Celtic will continue to fend off English interest for their sought-after assets, O’Neill responded: “Ideally that would be brilliant. That’s one of the things we’ll definitely look at. I seriously could not say for sure. You’d have to take the players’ thoughts into consideration and maybe the other club’s, but for me, selfishly, that would be great.”
When asked if West Ham had previously bid for Engels, he added: “I think there's definitely truth in that. I think there's been something put in that hasn't remotely made our valuation for a start. The same with Alistair Johnston; Everton have been in contact. And I'm not sure whether there's been a bid in there for that one, but they've been in contact saying that they would be.”