Arne Engels: Celtic to Pay Record £11m Fee for Augsburg Midfielder

Celtic have reached a deal to sign Augsburg midfielder Arne Engels for a club-record transfer fee.

The Hoops will pay £11m for the 20-year-old after their first three bids were rejected by the Bundesliga club.

He is due to arrive in Glasgow on Friday to undergo a medical and finalise his move.

Sky in Germany are reporting that Augsburg have inserted a 20 per cent sell-on clause into the deal.

Engles, who scored three goals and had two assists in 33 appearances last season, is viewed as a replacement for Matt O'Riley following his move to Brighton.

Celtic's previous transfer record was £9m for Odsonne Edouard, with the deal for bringing Adam Idah back to Parkhead only set to beat Engels' fee if add-ons are activated.

He will be the fourth new player to join Celtic this season alongside Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo and Alex Valle, while Idah and Paulo Bernardo both completed permanent moves after loan spells last term.

Can Engels step up and replace O'Riley?

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on :

"O'Riley was Celtic's best player last season and they can't replace him essentially.

"I don't think they need just one body in, they need more than that. Replacing Matt O'Riley is nigh on impossible.

"Paulo Bernardo will get the chance to show what he can do on a consistent basis.

"Celtic need more quality in the building. O'Riley is an enormous loss, to lose him this late is a problem for Celtic."

Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov on :

"You can see how badly they will miss O'Riley but the club will continue. It is important how they spend that money.

"Celtic and Rangers produce players which other teams look to take to strengthen their teams. O'Riley has really matured in the last year and I am not surprised a Premier League team has come in for him with a big price."

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